Starlight Destiny
by 808MaiTai
Summary: Runoff of A Brand New Destiny by Angela N. Serena's fate was altered when she was a child & she grew up on Kinmoku. Years later, she's back with new friends AND a boyfriend. She'll discover who she really is & what she must do to save the entire galaxy.
1. Prologue

Distributor: I DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT, OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN ANY SEASON OF SAILOR MOON. IT BELONGS TO NAOKO TAKEUCHI AND ANYONE ELSE WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE CREATION & PRODUCTION OF SAILOR MOON.  
  
AN: I came up with the attack for Sailor Star Striker, I'm not really familiar with the Japanese version of Sailor Moon, but I watched the Sailor Stars season on subtitled video. I pretty much changed a lot of things in this. I spent many hours writing this fanfic. I hope you like it! Enjoy!  
  
Prologue  
  
A lone figure stood at the gates of time, looking into a swirling mist of colors. She watched as things took place on Earth that were not meant to happen. She heard footsteps approaching her and looked up to see a small girl looking at her solemnly.  
  
"What is happening?" the child-like person asked.  
  
"The future is changing," the woman answered. "And."  
  
The girl looked sadly into the colored mist in front of the woman and finished for her, "We cannot do anything to stop it."  
  
The two stood silently and watched as the future began to revolutionize. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Before the Beginning. Serena's Fate.  
  
A cold night wind blew over the big city as clouds rolled in, blocking the moon's silver rays and glowing stars' lights. Radios crackled and TV screens flickered for a moment before returning to normal. It was as if a wave of static had traveled across the city, stopping at the southern side of Tokyo, Japan.  
  
Suddenly, the household, a quiet, two-story house on the southern side of the city, was disrupted by a shrill scream.  
  
Seven-year-old Serena woke with a start. Her eyes wide, she listened for more sounds. She had heard the scream that had sent chills up her spine as she slept, and which had woken her. Her little brother was moving restlessly on his bed.  
  
The three-year-old boy said in a frightened whisper, "Sere, what was that?"  
  
"I-I dunno Sammy," Serena whispered back. She sat up, her breath coming out quick as she strained to listen for any noises. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.  
  
She heard a sound on the stairs that were on the other side of the house. She gasped silently. Quickly pushing the blankets back, she silently hurried to Sammy's bed. Putting a finger to her lips, she motioned for him to stay quiet and helped him to get out of bed. She lifted him on to her hip, she moved quickly to the back of the room where their father had built a walk-in closet for the both of them.  
  
Softly closing the closet door behind them, she hurried to the back of the closet, to the hidden door behind the piles of clothes that hid the wall. She set Sammy gently in the corner and started moving the clothes out of the way. Clearing the door, she ran her fingers over the wall, trying to find the seam of the door.  
  
Just then, there was the groan of their bedroom door opening. Serena stiffened and then quickly found the edge of the place where the door handle was hidden. Sliding the panel of wood back, she slid the door open and hurried back to the scared Sammy. Gently, but quickly, shoving him through and quickly following, she brought the door down behind them, just as the closet door handle started to turn. In the dark, she felt for Sammy and quietly sat him down, sitting herself next to him in the small box space. Putting a hand over Sammy's mouth, she listened. Sammy shifted into Serena's lap, moving quietly, as if he knew the importance of staying silent.  
  
The closet door creaked open and heavy footsteps sounded. They came nearer and nearer to where Serena and Sammy were hiding and Serena was growing more and more terrified. She was thinking, as the footsteps neared, 'If it's Mommy or Daddy, they would know where we were. Oh please let it be Mommy or Daddy. Oh please, oh please.'  
  
The footsteps stopped next to the hidden door and Serena hoped that if the person was either of her parents, that person wouldn't notice that the clothes had been swept away from the door. It was quiet for a few minutes and Serena started to think that the person had left, but then the footsteps started up again. Except now, they were moving away. Serena heard the person walk out the door and out of the bedroom, pausing in the doorway of their bedroom, and then heading down the hall, towards the stairs. When she heard no more movement, she removed her hand from Sammy's mouth and Sammy let out a short breath.  
  
Serena was relieved, and yet, at the same time, even more petrified. Even though the person had not found them, this person's actions meant that this was NOT her parents, but a stranger, a person who had broken into their house! Serena felt tears of fright swell into her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back before Sammy, who had rested his head on to her shoulder, could feel them.  
  
"Sere?" Sammy whispered.  
  
Keeping her voice steady, she whispered back, "Stay quiet for a little while longer, okay, Sammy? Then we can go back out." Serena felt Sammy's head move in answer and he laid his head back down on to her shoulder. Serena let out an exhausted breath and leaned her head back on to the wall.  
  
Serena awoke to darkness. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She felt Sammy's head lolling to the side and knew he was asleep. "Sammy. Sammy, wake up." She gently shook the younger boy.  
  
"Hu-" he started to say, but then he opened his eyes. "Sere-" he yawned"- can we go out of here now?"  
  
"Yeah, but you gotta get up. I can't get the door open with you sitting on me," Serena said and Sammy climbed off her. Serena cautiously slid the door open and peeked her head out.  
  
The closet door was open, but there were no signs of anyone around.  
  
***  
  
Holding Sammy close to her, Serena crept down the stairs, stopping every few steps to listen for any sounds. Hearing nothing, she would continue on downstairs. When she reached the bottom, she flipped on a light and what she saw made her jump.  
  
Shattered glass covered the living room floor. Tables were overturned, smashed against walls that had huge cracks webbing down them. The couches were torn and overturned; some were broken right in half. Books and papers littered the carpeted floor, other objects strewn everywhere.  
  
Serena looked around with wide eyes, startled at all the mess. "What happened?" she wondered aloud  
  
Suddenly Sammy whimpered. Serena followed his line of vision and saw a mangle body lying against a cracked wall. It looked as though the person had been flung into the wall and had slid down it, covering the wall with dark red...blood.  
  
Serena looked at the body, gasping at the sight it was in and put down Sammy. Then she looked more closely at the body. Wasn't that black haired man just like her father. And over by the other side of the room, wasn't that just like her mother. Serena covered her mouth in horror. She glanced back and forth at the bodies with shock. Unknowingly, tears sprang into her eyes. She took a step forward towards her mother, but she was stopped by a horrible, cruel laugh.  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHA!!!" There was a whoosh of air and a long, purple haired man stood in front of Serena and Sammy. The man was dressed in pale silver clothes slightly loose silver pants, a black shirt with a silver jacket, and black pointed boots. His cold black eyes gleamed with his malicious grin.  
  
Sammy clutched Serena's side in fear. Serena took a slow step back, her eyes wide as she stared at the intruder.  
  
"Hello children. You must be Serena and Sammy," he said in a fake, cold, comforting voice. "Don't worry, you'll be joining your parents soon."  
  
"N-No!" Serena stammered, shouting half in anger, half in fear. "You k- killed them! Y-You big-"  
  
The man tsked and waved a finger. "Ah ah ah. Now, don't insult people. That's rude. People might get anger and do something." As he said this, he stepped closer to Serena and Sammy. He raised his hands up and suddenly Serena and Sammy were both hauled up into the air by an invisible force. Serena frantically grabbed Sammy's arm and pulled him close behind her, even as they were held in mid-air, to protect him from the laughing maniac.  
  
"I just HAD to kill your parents, Serena Tsukino. They got in my way, of getting to you," he spoke and grinned. Serena's eyes widened.  
  
"Me? Why do you want me?" Serena glared at him, somehow all her fear had disappeared and all she felt now were anger and deep loathing for this murderer.  
  
"You will be a great threat to my masters in the future. My Empress is very important to me, and I just can't let that happen, you see." The man grinned. "Oh, by the way, my name is Falcon. I'm so glad we could meet before your end. Now good-bye. You're going to see your parents now."  
  
"Star Serious Laser!"  
  
"Star Gentle Uterus!"  
  
"Star Sensitive Inferno!"  
  
Three bright beams of light flew at the startled man and hit it, causing him to shatter into millions of pieces, like glass, and evaporate. Serena and Sammy fell heavily to the floor and Sammy began to cry. Serena winced as she sat up and crawled to Sammy. She sat protectively in front of him as four shadowy figures appeared before her, seemingly out of nowhere. Three of them wore identical black leather suits that showed a lot of skin, chainlike tiaras with a golden star in the center on their foreheads, black leather knee length heeled boots, and twin black leather chain belts. All three had their hair pulled back into low ponytails and their hairs were about to their waists. The tallest girl had brown hair and bright violet eyes. The second tallest girl had jet-black hair and the darkest pair of blue eyes Serena had ever seen. The shortest of the three had silvery-white hair and the strangest mint-green eyes. Serena turned to look at the fourth girl. The girl had red hair and was a little taller than her white haired companion. She wore a beautiful red and orange dress and her hair was pulled up into an elegant and strange style. Serena stared in awe at the four strange girls while keeping her brother cautiously behind her. Sammy had stopped crying and was peering out from behind his older sister.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked the tall brown haired girl in a gentle and concerned voice. She held out a hand to Serena.  
  
Serena looked at the offered hand with suspicion, and then accepted it. "Yeah, but my mommy and my daddy." Serena trailed off, looking back at the still body lying a few feet behind her and Sammy, feelings tears coming to her eyes.  
  
The tall girl went over to the victim and felt for a pulse. After a few moments, she stood up and shook her head. The girl then went over to Serena's father who was slumped up against the smashed wall and did the same thing. The red haired girl walked over to Serena and stopped right in front of her. "Come with us. Everything will be all right." She smiled reassuringly and held out her hand. Serena hesitated before slowly taking the girl's hand. She held her brother's hand and looked at the three other girls who were forming a triangle that surrounded the two girls and the little boy.  
  
Suddenly, Serena felt herself being lifted up and she tightened her hold on the hands that she held. The girl squeezed her hand to assure her that she was safe. Serena blinked and suddenly felt her feet touch ground. She looked around to see that they were standing in a field of pink roses. Right next to the field of roses was a huge castle that looked to be made of smoky glass. "Where are we?"  
  
The black haired girl came up to her, "We're on planet Kinmoku, Kinmokusei. This is our home. My name is Seiya. That's my siblings Taiki and Yaten, and our princess Kakyuu," She pointed to the brown haired girl, the white haired girl, and then to the red haired girl. "Taiki, Yaten and I aren't really girls. We're actually boys and we're only girls when we transform."  
  
Serena was confused but she brushed it aside and said, "I'm Serena. This is my baby brother Sammy." Serena knelt down beside Sammy," Say hi, Sammy."  
  
"Hi Sammy." Sammy copied his big sister's words quietly and looked shyly at the three girls who stood in front of Serena. The four older children laughed at Sammy's weird greeting.  
  
"Children, what are you doing out there? Did you just get back from your visit to Earth?" A tall, regal, but gentle-looking woman appeared out of the majestic castle and approached them. The three leather-clad children knelt to the ground.  
  
"Mother, we found a girl and boy on Earth. Their parents were killed by a youma. It said something about her being a threat to its master in the future. What does that mean?" Kaykuu hurried to the queen, bowing to her quickly.  
  
"Hmmm." The queen studied Serena and Sammy with gentle eyes and went over to them. She leaned down to Serena and asked her, "Is your name Serena Tsukino?"  
  
"Yes, Your Highness." Serena said in a quiet and shy voice.  
  
The queen smiled, a hint of relief evident. "Ah, good. You did the right thing, Kakyuu, Starlights. She is an important aspect to the future."  
  
"What do you mean, Queen?" Seiya asked, raising her head.  
  
"I cannot tell you, but you will know in due time. For now, Serena will stay here where it is safe and will train to become a Sailor Starlight so that she may be able to protect herself. In a few years, her younger brother will begin his training also." The queen turned to Serena. "My name is Queen Kakei, but you may call me Aunt Kakei."  
  
"Yes, Aunt Kakei," Serena tried out the name.  
  
"Seiya is known as Sailor Star Fighter, Taiki as Sailor Star Maker, Yaten as Sailor Star Healer, and you will be known as Sailor Star Striker. After a good night's rest, you will begin your exciting training tomorrow," The queen smiled, "that is, if you want to."  
  
"I want to. It sounds fun," Serena exclaimed and grinned.  
  
"It is fun! We go on lots of visits and missions to other planets and our training is the best in this part of the galaxy," Fighter shouted, excited that they would have two more Starlights to train with and to play with. The two other Starlights and Kaykuu were also excited and grinning.  
  
"Well come inside all of you, dinner will be served in half an hour and I conjured up some clothes for you Striker, as well as a Starlight uniform like Fighter, Maker, and Healer's."  
  
Serena and Sammy followed the other children and the queen into the castle. Serena whispered to Sammy, "I think we're gonna like it here." Sammy nodded and smiled his cute baby grin in agreement. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Back Again. Arrival of the Four Lights.  
  
Ten years later.  
  
Screams erupted in the Tokyo International Airport as five teenagers stepped of their private plane. "Four Lights! We love you!!" and "Can I have an autograph?!" were heard from the large crowd of teenage fans.  
  
Closer inspection revealed the teens to be Seiya, Taiki, Yaten, Serena, and Sammy. But Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten were in their usual forms of young men at the age of 17.  
  
"Oh no. I guess our fame is spreading," Serena commented to the others over the loud noise, with a sigh.  
  
Thirteen-year-old Sammy slung his sister's guitar case over his shoulder and led the group as they slowly made their way through the crowds of their screaming fans.  
  
They finally made it to the entrance of the airport and were able to hurry into their waiting limo with the help of the airport security guards.  
  
"So, where are we going Taiki?" Seiya asked the tall brunette. Seiya settled back into the leather seats for the ride.  
  
"Yeah, and it had better be a five star place," warned the hard-to-please Yaten.  
  
"Don't worry Yaten. It is. We're staying at the Tokyo Grand Plaza. It's close to the local high school that we can enroll in," Taiki said calmly. "And there is also a junior high school nearby for Sammy."  
  
"School?!" exclaimed his four companions.  
  
"But summer just started!" Yaten wailed.  
  
"Oh hush Yaten. Japan doesn't have summer vacation. There are only year- round schools here," Taiki reprimanded. "It will do us all good."  
  
The silvery-white haired, short 17-year-old boy groaned and plopped back into the seat.  
  
"The Tokyo High School has a few martial arts clubs you know. And an American football team, as well as a photography club," Taiki told them, his comments catching the attention of the other three 17 year olds.  
  
"They do?" Seiya asked with wide eyes. "American football?"  
  
"And a martial arts club?" Serena added excitedly, for martial arts were her area of expertise and enjoyment-besides singing and performing that is.  
  
"And a photography club too?" Yaten said, sounding interested, which was a rare thing. Photography was Yaten's favorite area and he owned a few professional cameras that were made just for him. All the pictures that they had had on Kinmoku were taken by Yaten himself and they weren't too bad, to say the least.  
  
"Yep. They also have a computer club and Math League of which I plan to join," Taiki said with a grin.  
  
His four friends rolled their eyes. "You'll probably end up being the captain of the Math League and the center of the computer club," Seiya shook his head as he told his predictions to his genius older brother. Taiki scored perfect on every test he took and was currently the undefeated champion of the International Math League Championships of which he had participated in as an American student during their tour in the States.  
  
"No," Taiki paused," I think this time will be different. There HAS TO BE someone on Earth who is a challenge to me,"  
  
"Like who? Einstein? Sorry to tell you this bro but Albert's cold in his grave right now," Yaten smirked. "And he was a raving lunatic."  
  
"Haha very funny, Yaten," Taiki said sarcastically. "Even though Albert Einstein was a bit mad, he made many great discoveries in his time. I read about him in many different science books in America. I would suggest that you read them, but I know you would just ignore me and start talking about your cameras."  
  
"Quite bloody right, good chap," Yaten smiled, answering in a fake English accent. Yaten loved taking on accents.  
  
"So Sere, what are your plans for school now that Taiki has that set up?" Seiya asked his girlfriend, who he had his arm around.  
  
Serena though for a few seconds then replied, "I think I'll try out for some martial arts clubs and the archery team, if they have one, and maybe the fencing team. They should have fencing."  
  
"They have both of those," answered Taiki, his nose stuffed in a book about the study of medical science.  
  
"Great! Then that's what I'll do. It should keep me busy between schoolwork, concerts, and.other stuff." The others knew what Serena was talking about.  
  
"What about my school? What kind of stuff do they have there? Do they have soccer?" Sammy asked Taiki.  
  
"Yeah Sammy, they have soccer, tennis, and a few other sports," Taiki said and smiled at Sammy. "You'll probably have even more fun than us."  
  
"Hmph. Don't count on it." Sammy crossed his arms and decided to look out the window for the rest of the trip, mumbling about not wanting to go to "no boring school even if it does have soccer."  
  
"Oh stop being so immature Sammy," Serena said and turned back to Seiya. "What about you?"  
  
"I was thinking about football, of course, and now fencing. I think those two are enough for now. What do you think?"  
  
"Yup, I think those will take a lot of your free time. What about you, Yaten? What are your plans?" Serena asked Yaten.  
  
"Photography of course," he answered matter-of-factly and went back to looking out the window as cars went by, like Sammy. After a moment, he added, "And maybe the art club."  
  
Taiki looked up from his book in surprise and shared a look of utter amazement with Seiya and Serena. Never had they thought that Yaten would be interested in art.  
  
They reached the hotel five minutes later and were escorted up to their rooms. The manager had been so happy that famous idols were staying at his hotel that he had ordered five bell hoppers to help them with their luggage and equipment. The manager had given them the largest apartment in the hotel. A suite with its own big living room, Jacuzzi, huge kitchen, spacious deck, and five large and comfortable bedrooms.  
  
"This is perfect!" Yaten exclaimed happily and sat down on the comfortable couch.  
  
"Great job Taiki," Seiya told his brother as he put his stuff in his chosen room. "You should choose where we stay more often."  
  
"Yeah, this is great," Serena agreed. She set her guitar case and her two medium-sized suitcases on the bed of the room, which she had chosen because it was right next to Seiya's and Sammy's rooms.  
  
"Thanks. I thought this place looked nice too," Taiki told them. "Oh, I have to go see to our educational arrangements. I totally forgot." He stood from the couch and headed for the cordless phone that hung in the kitchen, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear what the person from the school was saying because Seiya, Yaten, Serena, and Sammy would be talking if he used the phone in the living room. As he passed, his friends and his brothers groaned.  
  
"I don't want to go to school. We learned stuff on Kinmoku and in America. Why do we have to learn stuff here?" Sammy complained.  
  
"It's important to know the history and such of different planets," Taiki called back from the kitchen.  
  
Serena, Yaten, Seiya, and Sammy all rolled their eyes in unison. Serena stood up. "I slept on the plane ride so I think I'll take a walk. Anybody wanna come along?"  
  
Seiya replied, "I'll go, I slept on the plane too." They got their jackets and headed out the door, leaving Yaten and Sammy both staring expressionless at an anime show on TV. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Arrival of the Starlights. The Meeting Of the Senshi.  
  
Seiya put his arm around the odango-haired girl's waist and she leaned slightly against him as they walked down the street. The street lamps were starting to flicker on as they passed some stores.  
  
"So where do you wanna go first?" Seiya looked down at the shorter person. "Are you hungry? We can go get something to eat."  
  
"Actually I wanted to check out some Earth senshi in action. We've heard so much about them in America but we've never seen them," Serena replied.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea. So we'll just hang around here until we feel a youma. There's bound to be some here as well." Seiya gently pulled Serena into a darkened, secluded alley and looked down at her.  
  
Serena smiled up at him and leaned in for an expected kiss. Just a few minutes after their lips touched, they both felt spasm of fear and danger flow through their bodies. The couple broke apart from their heated embrace and headed in the same direction, towards the more shadier part of town. "Talk about bad timing," Seiya grumbled as he easily ran, being a Sailor Soldier for many years, and a great athlete.  
  
Serena laughed as she ran next to him, keeping in step. "Don't grumble. There'll be time later. Right now, we've got a job to do."  
  
As they approached the construction site where they had felt the youma's presence, four beams of light shined into the night sky. As soon as the beams appeared, the red, blue, yellow, and green lights faded. "The Earth senshi just transformed," Serena said as they slowed.  
  
Seiya nodded his head in agreement, "We should transform here."  
  
Serena pulled out a star brooch and a microphone headset with small wings at the earpiece and Seiya brought out his own identical set. They stood side by side, as they transformed.  
  
"Striker Star Power! Make-up!" Serena shouted.  
  
"Fighter Star Power! Make-up!" Seiya followed.  
  
In a flurry of lights, two girls stood in the place of the couple, wearing the same outfits Serena had first seen all those years ago and had worn them all through her life afterwards. Serena's hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, which was half pulled into a twisting bun that surrounded the rubber band in her hair.  
  
"Let's go!" Seiya told Serena and she nodded. They ran through the shadows and leapt up onto a building for a better view. They watched as four senshi, each dressed in their own colored Sailor Senshi outfits with a short skirt, a vest, a sailor collar, two bows (one in the front and another in the back), different high heels, golden tiaras with their own color jewels in the center, and long white elbow gloves, stood in front of the ugly youma. The girl in the red, violet, and white uniform had long black hair. The girl in the dark-blue, light-blue, and white outfit had short blue hair. The third girl wore an orange, dark-blue, and white uniform and had long blond hair with a red bow. The last girl was the tallest, had on a green, pale-pink, and white uniform, and had dark brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail.  
  
The red uniform clad girl faced the youma first. She yelled out, "Mars Flame Sniper!" and released her flaming arrow towards the youma. The youma shrieked and was covered in flames, but suddenly the flames died down and the youma stood there, perfectly unharmed. It shuddered and then began to multiply. In the place where only one youma had stood, now stood a dozen. The Earth senshi gasped but they held their ground. Striker knew that they were shocked that the youma had multiplied and figured that they had never fought a Multiplier Youma before.  
  
The Earth senshi tried attack after attack but nothing seemed strong enough to stop the youma.  
  
"Guys! We're not going to be able to beat them!" The long-black haired girl said.  
  
"Mars is right! They're just too strong!" the short-blue haired girl shouted to her comrades as she set off her own attack, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The blue swirl of energy hit a group of the youma, only succeeding in slowing them down.  
  
The monsters ran at the Earth senshi, and it was then that Striker and Fighter knew it was time to step in. Together they stood and attacked at the same time, aiming for opposite sides of the large group of youma.  
  
"Star Serious Laser!"  
  
"Star Rapid Strike!"  
  
They both heard the Earth senshi gasp as all the youma exploded into pieces, which evaporated as they hit the ground. The senshi turned around towards the source of the attacks and saw two shadowy figures standing on a lamppost, their backs together.  
  
"Penetrating the Darkness at night."  
  
"The air of freedom breaks through."  
  
"We are two of the four sacred shooting stars of the new millennium."  
  
"Sailor Star Fighter!"  
  
"Sailor Star Striker!"  
  
"Sailor Starlights.Stage on!" They both yelled going into their poses.  
  
"Wh-where are you from?!" The black haired girl demanded to know.  
  
"That is no concern of yours. We were just passing through this construction area and saw you all in need of help," Fighter replied calmly.  
  
"And we're very grateful, thank you," the blue haired girl said and stepped forward. The other two senshi nodded, while the black haired girl fumed. "I'm Sailor Mercury. That's Sailor Mars, who was being rude. The one in the green is Sailor Jupiter and the one in the orange is Sailor Venus," Sailor Mercury gestured to each as she introduced them.  
  
"Like we said before, we're Sailor Senshi Star Striker and Star Fighter," Striker replied coolly.  
  
"You're both very powerful. We could use some help. The youma are getting stronger every time," Mercury said with a fearful frown. "Do you think you could help us?"  
  
"We have our own mission on Earth. And as soon as we're done, we will return to our own planet, so we can't help you," Fighter told them, a tiny, cold edge to her voice. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Outer Senshi Fury. The Confrontation.  
  
Suddenly, Striker felt a sharp prick at the back of her neck and yelled out a warning to Fighter at the same time Fighter yelled to her.  
  
"Fighter!"  
  
"Striker!"  
  
"World Shaking!"  
  
"Deep Submerge!"  
  
They both leapt out of the way and two attacks hit the spot where they had once stood.  
  
Striker and Fighter each jumped to other lamp posts and were looking around the area for their attackers.  
  
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Striker yelled out when she spotted the two figures cloaked in darkness on the edge of the clearing.  
  
The two stepped forward to reveal their identities. One was tall, and had short sandy hair, while the other was short, and had shoulder length sea- green hair. The tall woman wore a navy blue, yellow, and white Sailor Senshi uniform and the shorter woman wore a turquoise, navy blue, and white uniform.  
  
"We are Sailor Uranus and Neptune. It is our duty and mission to protect all planets and their inhabitants in this solar system from outsiders. And that's what you two are, outsiders," the sandy haired woman told them, a warning heard clearly in her voice.  
  
"We aren't here to cause trouble. At least not for you senshi. Our business is with Empress Fero. And believe me, when we're through with her, you won't have a thing to worry about, concerning her," Striker growled their nemesis's name.  
  
"What is your mission exactly?" the tall Sailor Uranus narrowed her eyes, thinking that if this Senshi were planning on hurting the Earth senshi, besides Fero, they would have to get through her first.  
  
"Too many questions." Fighter waved her hand in the air and then turned to Striker. "Let's go. The others will be wondering what kept us."  
  
Striker nodded and jumped down to the ground to follow Fighter. A figure appeared right behind Striker before she could react on her sixth sense and wrapped his arm around her neck, squeezing tightly. The Earth senshi were startled and Mercury took a step forward but Uranus stopped her with an arm. Striker reacted on instinct and kicked her heeled boot out at her capturer. It caught him in his stomach, causing him to buckle up and release her. Striker whirled around and narrowed her eyes angrily when she saw who it was.  
  
"Hawk," Striker hissed in contempt.  
  
Black Hawk straightened up with a grimace and grinned evilly. "Glad to see you haven't forgotten me, Striker."  
  
"After the trouble you caused our princess, how could I forget you?" Striker growled.  
  
"Ah yes, the Kinmoku Solar System Princess. She was a pretty one. But didn't you forget to mention about that little incident between us. After all, you did lose your innocence to me did you not?" He smirked. "It was a wonderful time."  
  
Striker's eyes widened and narrowed again. The Earth senshi were in shock at hearing this. Wasn't Black Hawk a top general to Empress Fero?!  
  
Fighter was clenching her fists as she tried to hold back her anger at what Hawk had done to Striker. 'Sere knew something was wrong but Hawk tricked her! That-that-'  
  
"You tricked me! You transformed into my boyfriend and played up to me! You good for nothing piece of-" Striker's eyes burned with fire and she lunge at Hawk. Fighter yelled, "Striker!" but Striker ignored her.  
  
She kicked out at Hawk who dodged her attack and sent a blow of his fist toward her abdomen. Striker blocked it easily and flipped over him. She started punching and kicking swiftly, every other blow hitting their mark. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hawk prepare to lash out at her with his foot and she blocked him with her own foot. Hawk growled and aimed a punch into Striker's stomach. Striker ignored the pain and tried to block off Hawk's attacks. She sent a right hook at Hawk and it hit him square in the chin, but he came back harder.  
  
Mercury and Jupiter both took steps forward to help Striker but Uranus and Neptune stopped them. Fighter started to hurry forward but Striker yelled, "No! This is my fight! Stay out of it, Fighter!"  
  
Finally, Striker saw an opening and, ignoring the searing pain, threw a triple punch into Hawk's chest and jumped away.  
  
Striker landed in a crouch near Fighter, breathing hard and gritting her teeth at the pain of being hit many times. Fighter quickly ran to her and asked worryingly, "Are you all right, Striker?"  
  
"I'm okay," Striker forced out and stood up. She turned to Hawk and saw that he was sporting newly made bruises and cuts, and a sore leg.  
  
I'll get you for this, Striker! Empress Fero will not take kindly to those who injure her generals!" Hawk growled and disappeared with a snap of his fingers.  
  
"Damn you Hawk!" Striker yelled into the starry sky in frustration and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait!" Sailor Mercury said.  
  
"What?" Fighter replied angry that Seiya's beloved had gotten hurt.  
  
"Can't you help us?" Mercury asked softly, her intelligent eyes pleading.  
  
"Mercury, don't. They're not from here. And you heard them, they have their own mission," Sailor Uranus told her sternly.  
  
"And we have our own," Sailor Neptune added, her sea green hair flowing gently in the cool night breeze, but her eyes remained emotionless.  
  
"Hey!" Jupiter's cry caused them all turn to look at her. " Where'd they go?!"  
  
Everyone looked at the spot where the two stranger senshi had stood, but they were gone. "Where did Black Hawk say they were from? Kinmoku Solar System? I'll ask Luna and Artemis to check up on that," Sailor Venus said to the others. "We have to find out who these two are and why they're here."  
  
Sailor Uranus just looked at the spot where the Starlights had been, a frown marring her tomboyish face. 'A strange aura surrounded that Sailor Star Striker,' she thought. 'Who is she, really?' 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: School. Need I Say More?  
  
"Hey Ami!" A shout rang out in the noisy classroom.  
  
The blue haired girl looked up from her Medical Studies book to see three of her best friends coming in through the doorway. The blond girl, black haired girl, and tall brown haired girl walked across the room to Ami's desk and sat down in the seats around her.  
  
"Hi guys," Ami Mizuno greeted. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much. Same boring school, same boring life," the blond haired girl answered with a sigh.  
  
"'Boring'? Are you all right Mina? Usually you're bouncing off the walls, excited about one thing or another." Ami raised her eyebrows as she surveyed Minako Aino's glum expression.  
  
"Nothing exciting has happened in my life, so far. Why can't some guy just pop into my life?" Mina sighed and put her head on the table.  
  
"She's been like that all morning." Rei Hino explained to Ami.  
  
Ami looked at the black haired girl. "Why?"  
  
"No idea," Rei replied.  
  
The sporty, brown haired girl leaned closer to the other two girls and said quietly, "She says there're no guys in her life and after Jamie moved away, she hasn't had any fun because she's always busy with Scout business so she's blaming her destiny because of it." Jamie Fujiwara was Minako's long time boyfriend. They had broken up when Jamie had moved away to America with his family. Mina and Jamie still talked on the phone and wrote letters, but now Jamie had another girlfriend and he had urged Mina to get on with her life as well.  
  
Mina's head shot up. She glared at Makoto who was giving her an innocent look. "What did you tell them, Makoto?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
Makoto backed away in her seat and said quickly, "Nothing, nothing. I didn't say anything."  
  
Mina didn't get a chance to protest her friend's answer. The bell rang for the beginning of class and all the students went to their seats. Ms. Haruna started taking roll.  
  
"Aino, Minako."  
  
"Here."  
  
"Arakaki, Kyle."  
  
"Here."  
  
"Fujiwara, Trent."  
  
"Here."  
  
"Hashimoto, Mari."  
  
"Here."  
  
The door slid open and the movement caught everyone's attention. The middle- aged principal walked into the classroom and spoke to Ms. Haruna in a low voice. Ms. Haruna nodded and the principal motioned for some people to come into the class. Everyone gasped when three boys and a girl entered the class. Excited whispers broke out through the class while the Four Lights looked around the room.  
  
"Students, we have some new students. This is Serena, Taiki, Seiya, and Yaten Kou." More whispers and gasps were heard. "Serena, why don't you sit next to.Ami Mizuno. She's right there in the fourth row. Taiki, sit on the other side of Ami. Next to Rei Hino. Yaten, sit next to Minako Aino there in the back. She's sitting behind Ami. And Seiya, take a seat next to Makoto Kino, behind Serena," as Ms. Haruna called out the students' names they raised their hands. Minako waved her hand wildly in the air when her name was called, with a huge grin on her face. Ami was blushing at the thought of sitting next to her favorite Light. She was also pleased that Ms. Haruna had chosen her for Serena to sit next to.  
  
The Four Lights went to their assigned seats and the other students, the ones that Ms. Haruna had not called on for one of the Four Lights to sit next to, grumbled under their breathes about life not being fair.  
  
"Hi, I'm Ami Mizuno."  
  
"Hey, I'm Serena. Nice to meet you." Serena said politely. Have you gone to this school for long?"  
  
"Yeah, since I was a first year student. But before that I went to Infinity Academy and then a year at Crossroads Junior High School," Ami said.  
  
"Hey, that's the elite school isn't it? Infinity Academy, I mean. Taiki is always talking about that school and how he wished he could have gone to that school." Serena smiled. "You must be a genius."  
  
Ami looked down at her book in embarrassment at the other girl's awed comment. "That's only because I study hard and I have so many goals."  
  
"That's pretty cool. I wish I were as smart as you. I think I recognize your name." Serena thought for a few seconds. "Oh that's right, Taiki was talking about the number one ranked chess player in Japan. You're that chess player, huh? And the one who was offered a full scholarship at a really great medical college in Switzerland, but refused it? How come you didn't take the scholarship?"  
  
"I had a lot of things going on here in Japan," Ami replied, thinking about that time. She had refused because they were still searching for Her. The Moon Princess, the one who was to become Neo-Queen Serenity of Future Crystal Tokyo, if they could find her that is.  
  
"Oh that's too bad. Taiki said you have a lot of potential." Serena grinned, knowing that Taiki had a crush on the genius girl, although he had never met her. Taiki had talked about the genius girl a lot after he found articles about her in the newspapers about her intelligence winning her another yet award or chess tournament. He was really excited when he found out Ami Mizuno went to Crossroads School, the school he had coincidentally enrolled them in. Although he hadn't shown his excitement, Serena knew her "brother" long enough to know how he acted.  
  
"He said that?" Ami blushed a bright red. Serena's eyes widened. 'She has a crush on Taiki! I just know it!' she thought with a grin.  
  
"Yeah," Serena replied.  
  
"All right class. Now that you've had a chance to get to know our new students, let's finish up roll call." 


	7. Chapter 6

Distributor: I DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT, OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN ANY SEASON OF SAILOR MOON. IT BELONGS TO NAOKO TAKEUCHI AND ANYONE ELSE WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE CREATION & PRODUCTION OF SAILOR MOON.  
  
AN: Okay, this is kinda a long chapter...  
  
Chapter 6: New Friends. Lunchtime Troubles.  
  
Serena sat down under a large, shady maple tree with her lunch to wait for her three fellow idols. She looked around and saw two guys heading her way. She thought, 'They look like seniors. Don't tell me their coming over here to.Oh no, they are.' The two reached Serena and she quickly put on a reluctant, but fake-cheerful smile. "Hi. What can I do for you guys?"  
  
The two young men grinned at each other. "Hey, I'm Joey Wheeler and this is Tristan Taylor. We're third year students." Serena thought, 'Ha! I was right, they are seniors.' The blond guy continued, "You're Serena Kou right?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?"  
  
"Well, I'm not busy tonight so I figured we could go out tonight. What d'you say baby?" Joey said in a low, husky voice.  
  
"Hmm.let me think about that.Hmm." Serena pretended to be thinking about what he said. "Hmm.How about, no?" She smiled sweetly up at the boys. "I'm already taken."  
  
Joey looked startled. He quickly hid it, but not before Serena glimpsed it. "What? No one EVER says no to me. Not even if they have boyfriends. So let's try it again okay? We're going out tonight, right?" He said menacingly.  
  
"No. Who would wanna go out with an arrogant jerk like you? I mean, come on, you totally gross me out." Serena said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, loving how this guy was acting.  
  
"Why you." Joey started closer to her, but a hand caught his arm and roughly shoved him back again.  
  
"If you mess with her, you mess with me," the guy said letting go of Joey's arm.  
  
Serena sighed. "Seiya, I can take care of myself."  
  
"I know that. I just didn't want another guy getting the worst end of your temper, again," Seiya said, still glaring at Joey. "Get outta here. Unless you want some trouble," he told Joey who was glaring back at him. Joey hesitated and then finally walked away, Tristan following close behind.  
  
Seiya watched them leave, then relaxed, and sat down next to Serena. "So, how did you manage to get rid of your fans?" Serena asked Seiya with a grin.  
  
"I just told them that I would be signing autographs after school in front of the school if they left me alone. As well as you guys."  
  
Serena laughed. "I figured."  
  
Seiya grinned at Serena and the two leaned in to kiss each other. Almost immediately as their lips touched, there were gasps from around the courtyard. Seiya and Serena gently ended their kiss and Seiya grinned. "Looks like we're found out."  
  
Serena smiled. "Looks like it," she agreed and felt Seiya squeeze her hand. She looked around with a small smile on her face and saw girls whispering urgently to one another, sending glances towards the newly-found-out couple. Serena even saw a a few glares sent her way, but she ignored them. Serena turned back to Seiya. "So where are Yaten and Taiki?"  
  
Seiya pointed to the two young men who had a large crowd of girls following right behind them as the two headed towards Seiya and Serena. "Does that answer your question?" He grinned.  
  
Serena shook her head at him as she grinned back and then put on a serious face and yelled out, "Hey girls! Leave them alone for the rest of the day okay? They'll be giving out autographs after school if you do!" Their fans quickly dispersed and a relieved Yaten and Taiki sat down in front of them.  
  
"Thanks Sere. I don't know how much longer I could have stood it." Yaten sighed and took a bite of his favorite sushi rolls.  
  
Taiki rubbed his temples. "Yeah, thanks. I was starting to get a headache."  
  
"You're welcome. But you're on your own this afternoon." Serena grinned.  
  
"Oh well, at least we have three more hours of peace and quiet." Taiki said as he started on his lunch.  
  
"So Sere, how was your day so far?" Yaten asked her.  
  
"It was pretty good. I met a girl in class that seemed really nice. Her name's Ami Mizuno." Serena unwrapped her sushi roll from its plastic covering.  
  
"What?! You met her?! Really?!" Taiki was excited, but then he noticed the looks he was getting from Yaten and Seiya and turned slightly red.  
  
"She and I talked and she didn't even ask a single question about you guys," Serena said happily.  
  
The three guys looked at Serena and then looked at each other. All three turned back to Serena and exclaimed at the same time with great disbelief, "What do you mean she didn't ask even ONE question about us?!"  
  
"You heard me," Serena said innocently. She bit into her food and chewed slowly.  
  
"How can she not ask you anything about us?! We're supposed to be the hottest guys around!" Yaten exclaimed. Taiki and Seiya nodded their heads in agreement, serious expressions on their faces.  
  
Serena swallowed. She looked at the three of them and burst out laughing. "You guys are so full of it! Get over yourselves. You should know that some girls do have boyfriends and crushes."  
  
"Well, okay so we're not always the first on girls' minds, but she didn't ask even ONE question about us?!?" Seiya exclaimed.  
  
"Nope. She was really polite too."  
  
"So she's not a fan of ours?" Taiki asked.  
  
"No she is. She's one of our greatest fans, she says. Well, she said that maybe her good friend Minako Aino is a bigger fan than she is," Serena grinned and looked at Yaten.  
  
"You're telling me," Yaten rolled his eyes. He had had to listen to Mina's excited whispering throughout the whole duration of morning class.  
  
Serena teasing grin widened. "She said your Mina's favorite."  
  
"Oh brother," Yaten sighed and stuffed his mouth with sushi.  
  
"Oh! There she is with Ami!" Serena said, feeling glad that she had finally found a friend who liked her for who she was not the fact that she was a famous idol and had two hunky "brothers". She smirked at Yaten. "I'm going to invite them over!" She jumped up before Yaten could say anything and strode deliberately towards the group of girls who gathered under the large tree on the far side of the courtyard.  
  
Yaten shouted in fake desperation after her, which caught the attention of a bunch of girls who sat near them, or rather, near the three young men of the Four Lights. "Oh please no! Sere! Come on! That's torture and you know it!"  
  
Serena grinned as she heard the "desperate" pleas of her fellow band member and made her way over to Ami and her friends. They saw her approaching before she was even halfway across the courtyard and Ami waved to her. Serena smiled and gave a small wave back.  
  
"Hey Serena. Would you like to join us?" Ami smiled at her when she reached them.  
  
"Oh no. I wanted to see if you guys wanted to join Taiki, Seiya, Yaten, and myself under that very 'lonely' tree over there," Serena joked, gesturing towards the direction of her fellow band members. A few feet away, a large group of girls was sitting and was watching the three with seemingly hawk eyes as they ate their lunch. The girls whispered amongst themselves every so often as if they were sharing some top-secret information about the three handsome brothers.  
  
"Uh, I, uh, don't know about-" Ami started to say, her face flushing a light pink. Mina jumped up and said excitedly, "Of course I will!" She suddenly shrank back in embarrassment and said sheepishly, "Uh, I mean, we will. We'd be glad to, right Ami?"  
  
Ami bit her lip and then gave a small smile. "Sure, I guess so."  
  
"All right then, come on. The guys are waiting for us." All the girls gathered their lunches and followed Serena to the boys. Serena dropped down next to Seiya and the other girls too seats across from the other four teens.  
  
Just as Ami was going to introduce the girls to the Four Lights, a girl strode over to them from the big group of girls, who were shooting dirty looks at Ami and her friends. "Hey Yaten, Seiya, Taiki," the girl said in what she thought was a sexy voice.  
  
"Hi, who are you?" Seiya asked politely.  
  
"I'm Lacey Kurishige. My friends and I were wondering if you three wanted to come eat with us?" Lacey batted her eyelashes at the three brothers. Yaten shot a secret, gagging expression to Serena who stopped herself from laughing by taking a big bite of her sushi roll.  
  
"We're fine right here," Yaten replied coolly. He took a bite of his own sushi roll as a sign of a dismissal. But the girl still stood there.  
  
"Well, we'll sit here with you three then," The girl said sweetly and then turned to Ami and the girls, pointedly ignoring Serena who was getting into a bad mood, thanks to this girl's attitude. "Sorry, but you'll have to leave. It'll be too crowded with me and my friends here and you'll only be taking up even more room." She made a small shooing motion with her perfectly manicured fingertips.  
  
"Actually, I think we're doing fine right here, like Yaten said. We don't need anyone else here. Buh-bye." Serena imitated the girl's sickening sweet voice and her shooing motion, except Serena's fingernails weren't manicured and weren't very long because of her guitar playing.  
  
"You died and made you queen of Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten," the girl practically snarled at Serena. "Besides, I was talking to them." She turned back to the three boys, "Right boys?"  
  
"Well, actually, Serena being my girlfriend DOES let her have say on who I eat lunch with," Seiya said and slid his arm onto Serena's shoulders. Serena automatically leaned closer to Seiya.  
  
Lacey seemed surprised. "You two are...dating?"  
  
"Yeah, so if you don't mind..."  
  
"Yaten and I will have to agree with Serena and Seiya. We don't need anyone else over here. It'll be to crowding, like you said," Taiki replied politely. "And we'd like to get started on our lunches if you don't mind."  
  
The girl stared open mouthed at them, probably because this was her very first rejection from a guy, or rather, three guys. She closed her mouth and whipped around, stalking back to her friends.  
  
After the girl had moved a few feet away, the group burst out laughing. It helped to ease some uneasiness between them.  
  
"Ah, well, that was the best laugh I've had in a long time," Ami said. She gave a short laugh. Then she looked at the Four Lights. "Well, I'm Ami Mizuno and these are my friends. This is Minako Aino, but we call her Mina," she gestured to the bubbly blond haired girl who was looking right at Yaten. "This is Rei Hino, "she motioned to the girl with long black hair and purple eyes, "and this is Makoto Kino," she nodded to the tall, dark brown haired girl who looked like she was a tomboy, although she was wearing the girls' school uniform.  
  
"Nice to meet you all," Seiya said with that half-smirk, half-smile of his that was seen on most magazines and photos; whenever he let his cool-guy look fall for a few moments.  
  
"I'm Serena, and these three are Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten, but I'm guess you guys already know that?" Serena asked raising an eyebrow in amusement as the other girls nodded to her statement.  
  
"So, how long have you guys been dating?" Mina jumped right in. "I saw you guys kissing before so I know it has to have been going on over a year or something."  
  
"We've been dating for a little over 3 years," Serena said with a smile as she fed Seiya a piece of sushi.  
  
"Really?!" Mina, Makoto, and Rei exclaimed in amazement. "And the press never knew about it?" Makoto asked.  
  
"No, they just never asked, and we, uh, conveniently 'forgot' that we were going out when we were in press conferences and such. Here is the first place we've been able to go out together," Seiya said with a grin, after he swallowed the sushi.  
  
"So that's why," Rei said. "Did you know that some of the other girls were saying how they couldn't believe you guys were dating. Some of them were really jealous, but I heard a few girls saying you guys match."  
  
"Really? Wow. Never though Seiya's fans would be saying we match," Serena laughed.  
  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Seiya looked at Serena with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Nothing. It meant nothing," Serena said innocently and then turned to share a look with the girls. The girls all burst out laughing and Seiya was left confused. Taiki and Yaten just shook their heads, muttering, "Women." 


	8. Author's Note, Sorry Not a Chapter, Yet

^_^ Author's Note ^_^  
  
Hey! I just wanted to say thanks to Bunny for reviewing my story. Thanks so much! ^_^ Oh, and to answer your question, I like the Japanese names of everyone else like Ami, Minako, Makoto, Rei, etc, but I like Serena's and Sammy's English names. But I also like the name Shingo too. As I started to write this story, I debated whether to write Sammy's English or Japanese name and my little sister suggested I write his English name. So that's how I chose it, but it people want Sammy's name to be Shingo, lemme know. But I'm going to keep Serena/Usagi as Serena. ^_^  
  
BTW, I'm working on the next chapter at this moment, hopefully I can put it up before the end of this week, but I've been pretty busy with work and all, so I'm not sure. I will promise, though, to work my hardest so you guys won't have to wait TOO long. Lol. ^_^  
  
Bunny: Good story! ^__^ Hey and why is Serena's name from the english version and not Usagi Tsukino from the japanese version? Everyone else seems to have their japanese names. Usagi's brother's name in japanese is Shingo Tsukino. Just to notify you. ^^ Hope you get the next chapter up soon. :) 


	9. Another Author's Note but an Apology

Sorry guys, yet another author's note.  
  
Okay, just to say, I'm going to delete these author's notes when I have the next chapter(s) up.  
  
And, now, my apologies to Sailor Star Moon (Angela N). I was wondering where I got the idea for this story. And it turns out I didn't! It was actually from what I read in the past, a long time ago. I'm really really really sorry Sailor Star Moon (Angela N)! I had no idea this was based on someone else's story. This "idea" came into my head on day when I was downloading a Sailor Moon Stars episode. I didn't remember about "A Brand New Destiny" by Sailor Star Moon (Angela N). If she has a complaint about this, I'll be taking this story down. I'm sorry to everyone who has any complaints about it being almost the same! (  
  
This is the Comment that made me realize what I had accidentally done. Thanks for telling me Mini-MoonStar.  
  
Mini-MoonStar - hey! its really good but it has the same storyline of a brand new destiny, doesnt it? 


	10. Chapter 7

AN: Okay, finally, the next chapter is here! Lol. Sorry to keep you all waiting. I've gotten so many reviews...I'm sooooo happy! Thank you thank you thank you! And thank you (Angela N) for letting me keep on writing this.  
  
Okay, just a note, Haruka is a guy in this fic. I liked the idea of Haruka being male better than female, so I made him a "gender-changer" just like Fighter, Healer, and Maker.  
  
Chapter 7: Hangin' Out. Meeting Friends of Friends.  
  
"Over here!" Mina called to the rest of them as she grabbed Yaten's arm and practically dragged him into the favorite hang-out of high school students, Zone. Zone was a large building that was half a pizza parlor and half a huge arcade with a snack and beverage bar.  
  
"Hey Andrew," Makoto greeted the very cute college guy standing behind the counter of the snack and beverage bar. The Zone was crowded.  
  
"Hi Andrew," greeted the rest of the group, except the Four Lights.  
  
"Hey Mako, hey girls. What's up? I see the whole gang's here," Andrew said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, and we've got some other people here too," Makoto gestured to the four newcomers. "This is Serena Tsukino, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten Kou," she introduced, smiling widely at Andrew, a twinkle in her eye.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Andrew said to them.  
  
"Same here."  
  
"Hey wait, don't I know you guys?" Andrew frowned, trying to remember some sort of detail. Then he remembered, "Oh! You guys are the Four Lights! That famous band that's touring Japan, right?"  
  
"Yup, that's us," Serena said, sliding her arms around Seiya's waist as he pulled her close to him with his arm around her.  
  
"You four are my little sister Miho's favorite band," Andrew. "And I like a couple of your songs?"  
  
"Really? That's great," Serena said and smiled.  
  
"Hey Sere, let's check out that racecar game," Seiya told her, looking towards the back of the arcade.  
  
"All right." The couple headed off towards the game.  
  
Yaten turned to Taiki. "I bet you twenty bucks for 10 minutes."  
  
"Nah, it'll be 5 minutes." Taiki grinned and shook Yaten's outstretched hand to close the bet.  
  
"What are you two betting about?" Ami asked curiously, asking the question the others were wondering too.  
  
"How long it'll be before Serena and Seiya start making-out," Yaten replied, looking at his watch.  
  
"Oh," Mina looked towards the couple. "Looks like Taiki is going to win." The others turned to look.  
  
Seiya had his arm around Serena as they waited for someone to finish playing the racing game. Serena was running her hand up and down Seiya's back and Seiya was whispering something to her. In a couple of minutes, the two were kissing each other softly.  
  
"Ha! I win. Pay up Taiki." Yaten held out his hand to Taiki.  
  
Taiki grumbled and pulled out his wallet. The girls and Andrew laughed.  
  
Makoto looked back at the couple. "You know, they look so cute together."  
  
"Yeah," Mina and Rei said.  
  
Just then, there was a shriek from outside the arcade. "Look! It's Taiki and Yaten!! AAAHHH!!!"  
  
"Oh no," Yaten moaned. "Weren't those autographs enough?!"  
  
"Come on, we can lose them in the back of the arcade!" Makoto said and led the group quickly through the crowd of people.  
  
A mob of a dozen girls ran into the arcade shrieking out, "Yaten! Taiki!", but they stopped when they saw none of the males of the Four Lights. The girls looked frantically around for the two idols. The one of them spotted Seiya-and Serena.  
  
"Oh my god!" the girl screamed in shock. That got the others attention, not to mention the attention of almost everyone in the arcade. "It's Seiya! And he's making out with Serena!"  
  
"What?!" the other girls yelled. They looked at the couple, who had heard the last of the outburst. "No way! Oh my god! They are!" The girls rushed over to the couple, but the two just stood there, arms around each other.  
  
"Seiya! You can't be dating Serena! Please say you aren't!" pleaded one girl.  
  
"You aren't good enough for him Serena!" sneered another.  
  
"I read you guys were just friends!" a girl almost cried, tears welling in her eyes and her voice cracking.  
  
"Hey!" Seiya shouted, eyes glaring at the mob of girls. "Who gives you the right to tell my girlfriend she's not good enough to be with me?"  
  
"We're your number one fans, Seiya!" a different girl exclaimed.  
  
"Well she's my girlfriend, and right now, you don't seem like number one fans," Seiya told them. "My number one fans would be respecting and supporting the choices I make, including who I date!"  
  
"But Seiya! Serena's-"  
  
"I've had enough of this. Leave us alone," Seiya ordered them and gently steered Serena to the side of the racing game.  
  
There were murmurs in the group of girls but they left the arcade, sending backward glares at Serena, who promptly ignored them. Serena looked up at the steamed Seiya. She put up a hand to caress his cheek and said softly, "Seiya, forget about them. They don't bother me."  
  
"Well they bothered me. What right do they have to say whom I can and can't date? And they said you aren't good enough for me!" Seiya seethed.  
  
"Seiya," Serena said softly. "Shut up." She pulled him down to kiss her.  
  
As soon as her lips touched his, Seiya forgot about the girls and their rude remarks. He pulled Serena gently closer to him. Just as he deepened the kiss, a snicker was heard from behind them. Seiya pulled away from Serena. As he turned around, he said, "Yaten, why can't you mind your own business?"  
  
Yaten replied simply, "Because it's much more fun to bother you." Taiki chuckled as Mina and the girls laughed.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Serena said with a smile. She slid her arm around Seiya's waist.  
  
Just then, there was a wild twirling of lights and beeping coming from the racing game. The group of new friends turned to look and saw that the light at the top of the game was spinning as the blond haired guy at the game turned the steering wheel.  
  
The man had short blond hair and blue eyes. It was as if he was so used to the game that he drove casually, sometimes taking his eyes off the screen to look at his companion who sat in the other game seat next to him. His companion was a beautiful girl with sea-green hair and mysterious blue eyes. She had a calm look about her, just like the man, but also one of elegance and poise. The girl sat facing towards the young man, not playing the game.  
  
"Oh, it's Haruka and Michiru," Rei said quietly, gaining the attention of the Four Lights.  
  
"You know them?" Taiki asked.  
  
"Yeah, we do. They're kind of-friends of ours," Makoto said.  
  
After completing the final lap, the man entered the initials HT and stood up from the game. He smiled to the girl as he stood. Then he turned to look at the group, as if he had always knew they were there. "Hey girls," the 22- year-old man said in his deep voice, looking at Mina, Makoto, Ami, and Rei. Then his eyes landed on Serena. "And who might you be, Beautiful?" He smiled. Makoto, Rei, and Mina rolled their eyes.  
  
"I'm Serena Tsukino," Serena said, leaning to Seiya. "And this is my boyfriend Seiya Kou, and his brothers, Yaten and Taiki."  
  
"Boyfriend huh?" he looked disappointed. "Too bad." He looked her up and down, checking out her slim but flattering figure.  
  
"Oh Haruka. Stop it," reprimanded the elegant woman who came up behind the man, putting her arm around his waist. She smiled at Serena and the rest of them. "Excuse him; he's not fully trained yet." Everyone laughed, but Seiya's laugh, unknown to them, was forced. "I'm Michiru Kaioh and this is Haruka Tenou. If I'm not mistaken, I do believe you are the famous Four Lights."  
  
"You're right. And you two just have to be that world-renowned violinist and piano duo who just had that tour in America," Serena said smiling.  
  
"Precisely," 22-two-year-old Michiru replied with a gentle smile.  
  
"And you're also a Japan-famous racecar driver who entered in the F1," Seiya said to Haruka, with forced friendliness. He just couldn't bring himself to be truly friendly with this guy who had been hitting on Serena, but he had to admit, this man was an amazing driver and he didn't play the piano too bad either.  
  
"Of course," Haruka answered. He put his arm around Michiru. "So you are the Four Lights, huh? Are you looking forward to your next performance with us?"  
  
Seiya was about to reply that no, they were not looking forward to performing with a pig-head imbecile such as him, but Serena knew her boyfriend all too well and started talking before him. "Of course. This will only be the second joint-concert we've done so far, after all."  
  
"You guys are doing a joint concert?" Mina asked excitedly. "When?"  
  
"It will be in two weeks at the Tokyo Concert Park," Michiru said. "At eight o'clock. We have tickets if you would like to come."  
  
"Oh yeah! Of course, we want some tickets! Don't we, guys?" Mina exclaimed. Not even waiting for an answer, she continued, "Could we get front row seats?"  
  
"Sure," Haruka smirked good-naturally.  
  
"Hey, Tenou, would you like to have a go?" Serena gestured to the racecar game.  
  
"All right." Haruka smirked. He sat down in the game chair and Serena took the other one.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do that, Serena?" Makoto asked. "Haruka is, so far, the only person able to break his own records."  
  
"Oh don't worry. Serena has a few talents no one other than her band mates know about," Yaten said confidently.  
  
"Okay, here we go," Haruka said as they started the race. Without taking his eyes off the numbers that counted down on the screen, he said, "There's still time for you to back out."  
  
"No way." Serena never took her eyes off the screen as she lightly griped the steering wheel.  
  
"All right. Bring it on," Haruka challenged.  
  
"I've already brought it," Serena said, right before the counter reached '1'. The two hit the gas pedal.  
  
'I picked a good car,' Serena speculated as she shifted gears. 'Amazing how these arcade games almost always feel like real cars.'  
  
'Let's see if you can keep up,' Haruka thought. He spun the steering wheel at a sharp turn, sliding perfecting around it.  
  
***  
  
Few minutes later...  
  
"Ah! I lost!" Haruka said as the two cars passed over the finish line, Serena finishing a few inches before Haruka's car.  
  
"Way to go Sere," Seiya leaned down to his girlfriend's ear to whisper. He laid his arm across the top of Serena's seat casually, silently showing off to Haruka that Serena was HIS girlfriend and no one else's.  
  
"Whew," Serena let out and leaned back. "That was one hell of a race."  
  
Just then, the light on top of Serena's game began spinning a bright red color. Yaten pointed out, "Hey look Sere. You beat all the other top records."  
  
"What?" Haruka was amazed. "This girl beat me AND my highest records?"  
  
Serena grinned. "You know it." She turned entered 'SST'.  
  
"How is it that you beat Haruka? No one's been able to do that!" Makoto exclaimed with amazement.  
  
"Serena spent much of her free time foolishly playing video games and driving that ludicrously fast car of hers around South California, where we stayed, and also Honolulu, Hawaii," Taiki said with a frown of disapproval.  
  
"Yeah. Serena and I used to street race with the team 'AZN Priderz' in Hawaii and the team 'Blue Lightnings' in California," Seiya explained proudly. "Serena was one of the best drivers around in the amateur street circuit."  
  
"I wouldn't say the best, but I could definitely hold my own in the competitions," Serena said with a grin. "We mostly did drift racing in Hawaii because they had so many winding roads there. My specialty was the inertia-slip drift."  
  
"'Inertia-slip drift'??" Ami and the others were confused. "What is that?"  
  
Serena laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'll tell you about it later. It takes some explaining. Nobody but me knows how to do it, after all, I'm the only one who's crazy enough to try it."  
  
"Wow. You really are talented in a lot of things!" Mina complimented.  
  
"Nah. I just have a lot of practice," Serena replied modestly.  
  
"Oh, hey girls. It's almost six o'clock, and it's getting pretty dark," Ami said. "I think it's time we all headed home."  
  
"Yes, Ami's right. We'll see you four tomorrow then?" Taiki acknowledged. He turned to Michiru and Haruka. "We hope to see you before the concert."  
  
"Alright. The same here." Haruka nodded. He slid his hands into the pocket of his pants. He turned to Serena. "I'll be seeing you around town, I'm sure." He sent a smooth smile that normally left girls breathless, but Serena only sent small smile back.  
  
"We'll see," Serena said.  
  
Seiya glared at Haruka. He slid an arm around Serena's slim waist, pulling her gently to his side. Serena slipped her own arm around his waist and smiled up at him. "Come on Sere. We still might be able to catch a movie or something."  
  
"Okay. Bye you all." Serena waved to them and the couple walked out the arcade, followed by Taiki and Yaten who were talking quickly.  
  
As soon as the Four Lights disappeared around the corner, Haruka's smile disappeared. "Michiru, girls. There's something strange about those four."  
  
"Yeah, I felt it too. They have some kind of power radiating from them," Makoto agreed solemnly. "The new enemy? Or..." Minako's eyes widened. "The Starlights from the other night?"  
  
"Yeah!" Rei said. "Didn't they say there were four of them?"  
  
Haruka frowned. "Girls, don't get too far ahead of your selves. For all we know, they could be the new enemy."  
  
"Well, whoever they are, we're going to have to find out," Ami said.  
  
The others nodded in agreement.  
  
***  
  
"Hey you guys? I think there's something up with those girls and that Tenou guy," Serena said as she climbed into the limousine after them and shut the door.  
  
"You noticed it too?" Taiki asked. "They had a very strange aura surrounding them."  
  
"Yeah. They could be the Sailor Senshi from this planet," Yaten said thoughtfully. "Or the minions of Fero  
  
"Hmmm...Either way, we're going to have to find out more about them," Seiya concluded, getting settled in next to Serena.  
  
'Who are they?' Serena wondered silently. 


	11. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Concert Fun. Trouble in Paradise...  
  
"Ooooohhh!!!! Look at that huge stage!!!!" Mina screamed, trying to be heard over the noise of the other audience members, as the four girls walked down the aisle.  
  
"Man! Haruka and Michiru really got us some good seats!" Makoto said, looking down at the ticket stub she held in her hand. "They're front and center!"  
  
"Yeah!" Rei agreed. "These seats are awesome, alright."  
  
Ami walked in front of Makoto and Rei, and behind Mina who was loping ahead of them, eager to see the concert. "Well, we DID ask Haruka for them," she said in exasperation, shaking her head. She looked down at her clothes and sighed.  
  
Ami was dressed differently tonight. Usually, she would have just worn jeans, a plain T-shirt, sneakers, and a jacket, but the girls had forced her to wear more flattering clothes for the concert. She couldn't say no after they blackmailed her with her laptop. Ami thought, 'Threatening to delete important information on my laptop is just not playing fair,' as she tugged down her short skirt.  
  
She was dressed in a navy blue mini-skirt, pale blue pumps, a light blue spaghetti-strap shirt that hugged her figure, and a blue sweater over her shoulders. She wore a tiny amount of pale blue blush and mascara. Ami was feeling extremely conscious in the outfit that her friends had taken an hour to pick out for her, while Mina threatened to turn on Ami's laptop if Ami tried to make a run for it. With Mina, disasters happened even without her meaning to.  
  
Ami looked over at her friends. Their outfits were even more attention catching than her own.  
  
Rei was dressed in a very-short hot red dress with large silver, hoop earrings that almost reached her shoulders. Her shiny, jet-black hair was loose around her shoulders. Her four-inch black heeled sandals made her seem really tall. There was no doubt about it; she was dressed to kill, and the guys around them knew it.  
  
Mina was dressed in a short pale blue skirt and a pale yellow tee that had the words 'Boy Magnet' on it. Her shirt revealed her slim midriff and her smooth shoulders. She wore two-inch, white heels. Her make-up was natural- looking and she glowed with excitement. She was attracting the attention of some of the awed males in the crowd, as were Rei, Makoto, and to her dismay, Ami.  
  
Makoto wore long, loose, black pants; black heeled (almost stilettos) boots; a dark green button-up, no-sleeve vest; and small hoop earrings. Her hair was pulled up in its usual ponytail and she wore a little bit of make- up.  
  
"So what kind of concert is this?" Mina asked Ami.  
  
"It's a joint-concert," Ami told her. "They're going to be singing American songs."  
  
"Really?! Cool!" Mina exclaimed. "I love American songs!"  
  
"Yeah, I love Kelly Clarkson's 'Miss Independent'! I hope they perform that!" Rei told her friends just as they reached the front row. They followed the seats all the way to the middle and sat down.  
  
About ten minutes later, the lights dimmed and the colored beams of light spun on stage, focusing on nothing on the darkened stage. The audience quieted as they anticipated the beginning of the concert.  
  
Suddenly the music started as the beams of lights  
  
Rei said excitedly to her friends, "'This is Miss Independent'!!"  
  
A female voice came over the speakers:  
  
Miss independent Miss self-sufficient Miss keep your distance, mmmm  
  
Miss unafraid  
  
Miss out of my way  
  
Miss don't let a man interfere, no  
  
One of the spotlights landed on a slim figure standing on the center side of the stage. The person was Serena. The crowds of people screamed and whistled, cheering for the idol.  
  
Serena was dressed in black, punk clothes. Her tight black jeans had holes cut into them stylishly, as well as her black tank top. A silver chain hung from her belt and on her wrists were black studded bracelets. She wore black high platform boots that made her even taller than Rei, and she wore black knuckle gloves that looked worn out. Her hair was down with thin and smooth waves and icicles, but with shocking blue streaks now running through them. She had a black bandanna over her forehead and disappeared under her stylish hair.  
  
Serena sang to the audience in perfect English with plenty of attitude to match the lyrics,  
  
Miss on her own  
  
Miss almost grown  
  
Miss never let a man help her off her throne  
  
So, by keeping her heart protected  
  
She'll never, ever feel rejected  
  
Little miss apprehensive  
  
Said ooh, she fell in love  
  
Suddenly, the lights on the stage shot on and the rest of the Four Lights band were in view. The crowd screamed their enthusiasm as Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten played the music for the song.  
  
What is this feeling taking over?  
  
Thinking no one could open the door  
  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true  
  
Misguided heart  
  
Miss play it smart  
  
Miss if you wanna use that line, you better not start, no But she miscalculated  
  
She didn't wanna end up jaded  
  
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love So, by changing a misconception  
  
She went in a new direction  
  
And found inside, she felt a connection  
  
She fell in love  
  
What is this feeling taking over?  
  
Thinking no one could open the door  
  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true (when love, is true)  
  
When miss independent walked away  
  
No time for love that came her way  
  
She looked in the mirror and thought today  
  
What happened to miss no longer afraid?  
  
It took some time for her to see  
  
How beautiful love could truly be  
  
No more talk of why can't that be me  
  
I'm so glad I've finally seen  
  
What is this feeling taking over?  
  
Thinking no one could open the door  
  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true (when love, is true) Miss independent  
  
The audience screamed and whistled as the song ended. Everyone in the large concert hall was on their feet and had been moving to the beat of the song.  
  
"That was so amazing!!!" Mina screamed to her friends over the loud noise as Serena waved to the crowd. "Serena's singing is awesome!"  
  
"Yeah!" Makoto agreed and Ami smiled.  
  
Then the spotlights on the Three Lights faded slightly and two new spotlights lit up on either side of Serena. The one on her left had Haruka, dressed in a tuxedo and sitting at a grand piano that matched the color of his suit. The one on her right had Michiru who had her violin ready and who was dressed in an elegant blue dress. The two began to play and the crowd continued their cheering for the three of their favorite idols.  
  
After all you put me through, You think I despise you? But in the end, I wanna thank you, 'Cause you made me that much stronger...  
  
The lights on Michiru and Haruka faded out to blackness while the lights on Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten grew brighter, just like the music (AN: you've gotta hear Christina Aguilera's - "Fighter" to know what I'm talking about).  
  
Well I thought I knew you, Thinkin' that you were true..  
  
And Serena continued to sing...  
  
Serena sang the song "Ultimate" by Lindsay Lohan afterwards with the rest of the Four Lights, and then the guys of the Four Lights sang in the song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days while Serena jammed it out on the electric guitar.  
  
Then the Four Lights faded away, and Michiru and Haruka appeared. Michiru sang and played her violin in Mandy Moore's "Only Hope" as Haruka played the piano in duet with the violinist.  
  
After they had performed beautifully, Seiya showed up with the song "Greatest Story Ever Told" by Oliver James, and his guitar.  
  
As Seiya's guitar-ing ended, Haruka and Michiru appeared in the spotlights, dressed in fresh clothes, and ready to sing the ballad version of "What Dreams Are Made of" in the American movie "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." Haruka played his piano as the couple sang duet.  
  
When they faded out, Serena walked on to the stage, singing the lyrics of "What's Good for Me" by Lucy Woodward. This time, she was dressed in a long denim skirt and a nice-patterned bell-sleeved shirt. Haruka and the rest of the Four Lights played the music for that song.  
  
And then following right after that, Haruka and the males of the Four Lights performed "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon.  
  
Then Serena appeared again to sing Mandy Moore's "Cry." She wore a figure hugging, flowing pale blue dress with bell-sleeves and her hair its beautiful waves, flowing down her back, and icicles framing her face. She sat on a stool and played an electric guitar while Seiya accompanied her on the drums, Yaten with his bass guitar, and Taiki on the keyboard.  
  
Michiru performed next with Haruka and his piano, Seiya with the drum set, and Taiki with his keyboard. She sang the song "Only Hope," also by Mandy Moore.  
  
Haruka sang on the next song, Oliver James's "Long Time Coming" with his piano. He was accompanied by Michiru playing her violin and the Four Lights with their instruments.  
  
Serena and Michiru performed duets with the songs "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch and "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey. Michiru played her violin in the introduction of the song, and Serena played her electric guitar for the song. They were accompanied by the rest of the Four Lights.  
  
Michiru, still dressed in her turquoise, figure hugging formal dress from the other songs, performed Richard Marx and Donna Lewis's duet "At the Beginning" with Haruka, with the Four Lights playing their instruments.  
  
Finally, the Four Lights and the two other idols ended the concert with a great group performance of an upbeat "Sundown."  
  
The audience was in an uproar with the great performances that had gone on all throughout the concert. They called for more, but it was already past the planned ending time. The idols gave their last bows and waves and the lights faded.  
  
When the lights came back on, the idols were gone from the stage and the audience began to exit the concert hall. Some eager fans of the six idols rushed to the doors that led to the backstage, hoping to convince or bribe the stern security into letting them meet the famous young people, without backstage passes.  
  
Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Mina, who had each received a pass from Haruka and Michiru, were let through, the which caused them to receive jealous glares from the other girls. The girls made their way towards the dressing rooms, dodging the stage equipment that were already being packed up and hauled away.  
  
Mina knocked on the door of the Four Lights' dressing room and Seiya answered the door. He was dressed in dark blue pants and a pale-blue collar shirt with the collar unbuttoned casually.  
  
"Hey girls," Seiya grinned at the four smiling girls. "Enjoy the concert?"  
  
"You bet!" Rei and Mina exclaimed in unison.  
  
"It was awesome," Makoto agreed.  
  
"Yes, it was wonderful," Ami replied.  
  
"Glad you did. Come on in," Seiya invited and stepped back to give them room to enter. What they were greeted with surprised them. Instead of a regular single-room dressing room, there was a main room with couches, a big-screen (flat-screen) TV, a stereo, and a snack bar. Off to both sides of the large, spacious room were two doors, each leading to separate dressing rooms for the four idols.  
  
"Wow! You four have it made here!" Makoto said, looking around the room in awe, as were the other girls.  
  
"Yeah! You could live here!" Mina added.  
  
"Sei-" one of the doors on the right side opened and Serena appeared, dressed in her pale blue dress, but without her platform-heeled blue sandals. She saw the girls. "Oh hi you guys. Glad you could make it," she smiled.  
  
"Serena, your singing was awesome-yours was too Seiya-but Serena, how'd you learn to sing like that?" Mina asked in a rush. "You were like a genuine American singer!"  
  
Serena giggled. "I just had a lot of practice-and I mean a LOT." She walked over to Seiya, "Hey Seiya, could you get this zipper for me? It's stuck."  
  
"Oh, yeah," Seiya loosened the zipper from the cloth that was stuck in it and unzipped it halfway for her. "There you go."  
  
"Thanks," Serena gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said to the girls, "I'll be right out," before hurrying into her dressing room and shutting the door.  
  
"You girls can sit down if you'd like. There're drinks and food in the frig and under the counter," Seiya told them. He took a seat in the lazy-boy chair.  
  
As they sat down, Rei said, "Um, Seiya, not to be nosy or anything, but how did Serena and you meet? I mean, you guys started dating before you all formed the Four Lights, right?"  
  
"Yeah, Serena and I met when we were little kids. We were about seven years old. Serena moved to my neighborhood with her little brother and her parents and they lived right next door to Yaten, Taiki, and I," Seiya told them. "We didn't start dating until we were about fifteen, but we both started dating other people when we were 13 years old."  
  
"Oh, that's so cute! So Serena was like the girl-next-door," Mina said. "And you two were the best of friends, right? You guys did everything together?"  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Seiya was surprised.  
  
"Oh, I just read a lot of teen romance novels and manga," Mina laughed. The other girls shook their heads in exasperation.  
  
"'A lot'?" Rei said. "Try way more than that," she told Mina. "You're still borrowing half of my manga and anime collection from since four years ago. And that's over a hundred of them!"  
  
Mina looked sheepish as Seiya, Ami, and Makoto chuckled.  
  
"So, what'd I miss?" Serena appeared out of the door and sat down on Seiya's lap, leaning back comfortably. Seiya put his arms around Serena. Serena was dressed in a knee-length denim skirt and a white shirt that bore a bit of her midriff when she leaned back. She had slipped on large silver hoped ears and a silver necklace with two silver rings on the chain. Her hair was still in its waves and icicles with its streaks.  
  
"Nothing much," Mina said quickly. The others laughed.  
  
"Hey, aren't Taiki and Yaten done yet?"  
  
"They are. They just headed over to Haruka and Michiru's dressing room to thank them for the concert, even though I told them you already did," Seiya frowned when he said Haruka's name.  
  
"Oh Seiya. You're still not mad about that, are you? I mean, come on, he's way too old for me AND he's Michiru's boyfriend."  
  
"That probably never stopped him before," Seiya muttered grumpily.  
  
The girls giggled when Serena made a show of rolling her eyes. "Whatever," Serena replied and rested her head in the curve of his neck.  
  
"Hey Serena, what do those rings on your necklace say?" Makoto asked interested.  
  
"Oh these?" Serena looked down at her chain. "This one," she held up one, "has the Japanese characters for Devotion and Tranquility engraved on it, and this other one has the characters for Love and Seiya on it."  
  
"Oh, how sweet!" Mina practically cooed. "So it basically means that you're tranquil and have devotion and love for Seiya?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that." Serena said and she glanced at Seiya, who looked back at her.  
  
Just then, the door to the room opened and Yaten and Taiki entered; behind them, followed Michiru and then Haruka. The four had already changed into their street clothes.  
  
"Hi Michiru, Haruka," Serena greeted as did the girls. Seiya just gave them a curt nod. Serena nudged him when that's all he did.  
  
"Hello, we just came by to see if you all would like to go over to the Zone," Michiru said.  
  
"We'll go," Makoto said after she and her friends looked at each other.  
  
"We'll go also," Taiki said for Yaten and himself.  
  
"Sorry, Seiya and I are going to have to pass. He made reservations at the 'Catch of the Day' sushi restaurant for us," Serena told them.  
  
"Oh, all right. We-"  
  
Suddenly there was a loud shattering sound, followed by an ear-shattering explosion that shook the room.  
  
"What was that?!" Rei exclaimed. "It sounded like a bomb or something."  
  
Serena and Seiya jumped up. "Well, we'll be going now. Don't want to be late for our reservations. Have fun you guys," Seiya said hurryingly and the two quickly made their way out of the room.  
  
"Uh, I forgot something in my dressing room. I'll be right back," Haruka said and hurried out the door.  
  
"I'll go with you. I left my purse there too," and Michiru quickly exited after him.  
  
"What was that all about?" Yaten asked the girls.  
  
"Oh-uh-um, n-nothing," Rei replied, stuttering over the words in her haste to get them out. "Th-They're always doing that."  
  
Then there was a shout, "Star Rapid Strike!" followed by another explosion.  
  
"What's going on?!" Yaten shouted as he and Taiki ran out the room and towards the sound, followed quickly by the girls.  
  
When they reached the stage, the group stopped short. There in the center of the stage were Sailor Star Striker and Sailor Star Fighter both in fighting stances, facing a man dressed in all white. Even the man's long hair was pure white.  
  
Fighter sprang forward, flipping into the air and shooting off her attack when she had reached the peak of her leap, "Star Serious Laser!" Her attack flew out at the man, only to collide with a silver force field.  
  
The man lowered the hand that he had put up. His voice was deep and gloomy as he spoke, "Sailor Stars Fighter and Striker, you two are as pathetic as always."  
  
"You should talk, Ice. After we beat you up that last time, we thought you'd be too ashamed to show your face-but I guess you're much more stupid than that," Striker spat back.  
  
"Tsk tsk. You still have that contempt for me? Was Hawk not the one who deceived you?" the man said. The white orbs that were his eyes gleamed as he grinned maliciously.  
  
"You both are equal loads of scum," Fighter shouted.  
  
"Hey!" The three turned to look at the person who had shouted.  
  
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Well well well, if it isn't the arrogant Earth Scouts, Uranus and Neptune," Fighter told them angrily, "interfering just like last time."  
  
"Excuse me? This is our solar system! Why don't you go back to whatever black hole you crawled out of?" Uranus retorted.  
  
"Hey! If you two don't mind, I WOULD like to kill these two Sailor Star brats," said the man who looked back and forth at the two "spitting felines."  
  
"Who are you?" Uranus demanded, glaring hard.  
  
"I am a top general of Empress Fero. I go by the name of White Ice," the man gave a low bow.  
  
"Well glad to meet you White Ice. I'm Sailor Uranus and this is Sailor Neptune," Uranus told him sarcastically, in a cheerful voice.  
  
"And you're trespassing on our territory by coming into this solar system," Michiru told him frostily.  
  
"Well, excuuuuuse me!" Ice said with some of his usual attitude. "Who died and made you the queen of this solar system? Oh, that's right, your ruling queen."  
  
"Hey! You leave our queen out of this! You have no right to even speak of her!" Uranus shouted.  
  
"Well, now that we've gotten through the introductions, let's get down to business," Fighter said.  
  
Striker jumped high into the air as Fighter rushed straight at Ice. Striker aimed for Ice as she let off her attack in mid-air, "Star Rapid Strike!"  
  
Her energy attack shot at Ice. Striker wasn't far behind it. Ice blocked the attack using his force field but he couldn't hold it up when Fighter and Striker reached him at the same time. He shot backwards, levitating off the ground and Striker landed in a crouch, but was off again, shooting towards the enemy.  
  
She moved with lightning fast speed as she kicked and punched at Ice. Ice was able to block all her attacks, but suddenly, Striker faked a punch and went for a low cut. Ice's head flew up and he staggered backwards. Striker took that moment to gather her energy.  
  
To the Earth senshi's (plural) astonishment, Striker had a ball of silver energy gathered in the palm of her hand in less than a few seconds. "This is your end, Ice!" she shouted and flew at the man. As she reached him, she flung the ball straight at his heart and it exploded into him.  
  
Ice shrieked and as he fell backwards, clutching his chest, his body exploded into a glistening white pile of...something. It looked a lot like snow.  
  
Everyone thought that Striker and Fighter would be glad that she had destroyed the man, but Striker was frowning and her body was tense. She looked like she was preparing to defend herself over an attack. After a couple minutes, when it didn't come, she looked around cautiously and then stood up straight.  
  
"Hey! Now that that loser's gone, you have to answer our questions," Uranus demanded, taking a menacing step towards the two "aliens."  
  
"Like we said before, we don't have to tell you anything. Our mission is our business and none of your concern," Striker said firmly. "Now, we have to be leaving. Let's go Fighter."  
  
"Laters." Fighter said with an easygoing wave over her shoulder. Before Uranus or Neptune could do anything, the two walked into thin air and disappeared. Impossibly, the air seemed to ripple like water, and then settled back into its "normal self" again.  
  
"What?!" Uranus, Neptune, and Rei, Ami, Mina, and Makoto all exclaimed in surprise.  
  
"How'd they do that?!" Mina said, awe in her voice.  
  
"I guess they're Sailor Senshi so they can do that too. Can't you do that?" Yaten asked Uranus and Neptune, amusement upon his face.  
  
Uranus just glared at him and stalked off into the shadows. Neptune hurried after her.  
  
There was silence after the two Earth senshi left. Suddenly Makoto quickly said, "Wow! That was awesome wasn't it?"  
  
The other girls replied quickly with nods and mumbles of agreements. They had answered a little too quickly but no one seemed to notice and the girls were relieved.  
  
"Well, why don't we all head over to the Zone now?" Yaten said, changing the subject casually.  
  
"Yeah, let's go everybody. We'll probably meet Michiru and Haruka there," Rei agreed. The others followed her out the door while Yaten and Taiki hung back a few moments. The two looked at the stage and smiled at each other, then followed the girls who were already halfway down the hall.  
  
***  
  
Fighter and Striker had been teleported a few blocks down from the auditorium and were now walking down the street with other pedestrians in the cool night. Seiya pulled Serena close to him as he slid on his sunglasses. Serena had slipped on her white baseball cap and a thin jacket that she had taken from her dressing room, after they had disappeared from the stage using Serena's skills at teleportation. She also slipped on a pair of pale-blue sunglasses.  
  
Serena slid her arm around her boyfriend's waist as they walked, and was glad to feel his warm arms around her. She looked up at him. "Seiya, he's still alive."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I felt his presence on that stage after you 'dusted' him," Seiya replied said, pulling Serena gently, but protectively, closer to him.  
  
"We have to find him and destroy him before he can harm the Earth senshi," Serena said, her voice quiet.  
  
"Why are you so interested in them?" Seiya asked her, looking down at the top of Serena's head.  
  
"I just feel like I know them somehow," Serena replied, her voice thoughtful  
  
"Hm," Seiya thought for a moment. "Well, Queen Kakei did say that she knew you had the potential to be a Sailor senshi. It could be possible that if you had never left Earth, you would have been a senshi of this planet."  
  
Serena nodded slightly. Then she looked up into Seiya's intriguing and loving blue eyes. "But if I had never left Earth, I might not be alive today. And I might never have met you."  
  
Seiya smiled slightly, sorrow in his smile. "I could never imagine not meeting you Sere. I couldn't even believe that it's possible for me to live without you."  
  
Serena smiled. "You're so sweet. And you're so good to me, Seiya." Serena laid her head against Seiya's jacket contently.  
  
"That's because I love you," Seiya told her softly.  
  
"I love you too, Seiya," Serena kissed Seiya deeply. When they ended the kiss, Serena laid her head against Seiya's chest again. The couple walked down the street to the sushi restaurant that Seiya had made reservations at that morning. 


	12. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Past**

_"No! Princess! Look out!"_

_"Save the Princess!"_

_"Protect her!"_

_"You must survive! You're our only hope!"_

_"Protect our people! You're their last defense!"_

_"We will always be here for you! No matter what!"_

_"We'll always give you strength when you need it."_

_"You must defeat the evil and save this world. We will always help y…"_

_"I can't protect you anymore, my love. I'm sorry…"_

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Serena jolted awake. Her rapid rasping for breath was the only sound she heard besides the slow ticking of the clock. 'Wha-What the hell was that?' she thought to herself, holding a hand to her head. 'Those voices were so familiar. And those screams…..' Serena shuddered. 'They gave me the chills. And they sounded so familiar, as if I was close to those girls.

'Why did I hear only those voices while I couldn't see anything, but fog and dark shadows?' Serena closed her eyes to try and bring back the image, but it was as if her mind blocked all the details from her. 'And who said that "my love" part? What's going on?'

Opening her eyes again, Serena climbed out of bed. Her white night dress flowing behind her, she made her way through the open balcony doors into the light, cool night breeze. Serena stood at the balcony, looking out over the brightly-lit city, catching her breath.

"Sere? What's wrong?" Seiya came up behind her. Their bedrooms were adjoining rooms, and Seiya being a light sleeper, had heard his girlfriend's muffled yelp. He put his arms around her and Serena leaned back into him.

"I had another one of those dreams again," Serena told him.

"What?" Seiya's voice was filled with concern. "But you haven't had those since before we left Kinmoku."

"Yeah. Except, instead of the voices telling me to go home, this time they were just screaming 'Save the Princess!' and 'Protect her!' They said something about someone having to survive and being their last hope," Serena told him. "It was all so confusing, and it didn't help that I could only see shadows and a lot of fog."

"We've got to tell the Princess about this," Seiya said softly to her gently, rubbing her arms to keep her warm in the cool night.

"No, we can't!" Serena told him urgently. "It'll only worry her."

"But I hate seeing you tear yourself up like this, trying to figure out what all this means. Maybe it was a bad idea for us to come to Earth," Seiya hugged her to him.

"No, it was a good idea. If we hadn't come, then Earth and all its people will be doomed. The Earth senshi don't have the extensive training in power-increasing that we have, they wouldn't stand a chance against Empress Fero and all her filthy little demons," Serena said hotly.

Seiya laughed softly. He hugged her to him and buried his face in her soft golden hair.

Serena noticed his silence and turned to face him. Putting her arms around his toned lower abdomen, she looked up at his lowered face. "Seiya? What's wrong?"

Seiya opened his eyes. He placed a hand against her cheek and stroked her smooth skin. "You and I both know the final battle is getting closer and closer, right?" When Serena nodded, he continued, "I just don't want to lose you. What if you are the Princess? You'll have to stay here and…marry your prince."

"Wait, you're still worrying about that stupid prophecy?" Serena straightened up. "Seiya, it's not true. I mean, come on, how could you ever lose me? And plus, just because I'm from a different solar system than other Starlights doesn't necessarily mean it's me that the prophecy is talking about. Queen Kakei told us years ago that the prophecy has been around for years and years. No one even believes it's true. And even she said that there's a 50-50 chance that I'm that person."

"I know, but…" Seiya trailed off. He hugged Serena to him and closed his eyes. A memory came immediately to him.

~*~*~

_"Starlights Fighter, Maker, Healer, and Striker.__ Step forward," a gentle but solemn voice flowed over the small crowd of two dozen Starlight Senshi. "The rest of you may leave."_

_The respectfully-silent senshi cleared the Throne Room and left the four main senshi kneeling before the beautiful queen and her even more beautiful daughter._

_"You may stand," Queen Kakei told them in a much more relaxed voice when the huge doors of the large room were shut. "Starlights, you have forever been our kingdom's greatest senshi and have watched over our solar system through out the many years. Now, in your 16th year, I believe you are all responsible individuals and great friends so I feel that it is imperative that I tell you of this prophecy from long ago."_

_The four Starlights exchanged puzzled looks with each other._

_"This prophecy may include two of you, but I'm not quite sure," Queen Kakei said. "I learned of this prophecy from my mother and her from her mother and so on and on. No one is quite sure when this prophecy was made, it was so long ago. And no one knows for sure if it is true or not because the woman who made the prophecy wasn't from around our solar system. No one knew where she is from and no one knew where she went after she told my ancestor about this." The queen turned her palm upwards and a scroll appeared in her open hand. Unrolling it, she said, "These were her words:_

_When black clouds cover the skies,_

_And shadows cover the land,_

_Evil will appear and strive for total annihilation,_

_And one by one the stars shall lose their shine._

_One by one…until there are only eight,_

_Standing between their people's survival.___

_And the end of the mortal race as they know it.___

_But four lights shall appear_

_To help the struggling soldiers in evil's wake._

_The twelve, despite differences, will join forces,_

_Fighting alongside each other to defeat this threat.___

_But their fight might be in vain, for_

_The evil queen will rise stronger and stronger,_

_Until only two will have the power to destroy her.___

_Using the powers of the universe,_

_And the glow of the fading stars,_

_Souls joined and spirits strong,_

_Two shall vanquish evil forever._

_One shall come from the stars,_

_Where fires burn bright,_

_And a sea of colors grows._

_Where shooting stars fly free,_

_In the cool night sky,_

_And shines with an almighty hunger.___

_The other comes from far away,_

_From another place,_

_Another world.___

_This one will make the choice,_

_No other can do this for her._

_A choice to save the lover's love,_

_The lover's own,_

_The world she's come to know,_

_Or the world she never knew._

_To save the lover's love, she will fall into oblivion,_

_And never been known again.___

_To save her lover's own would mean her end._

_To save the world would mean her end also._

_But her past hides secret plots and hidden messages,_

_Her complex mind cannot remember._

_And yet, the victory of good in the final battle _

_depends__ on her lost memories…"_

_The queen paused. "I studied those words for hours and hours when I was young. My ancestors believed there was something to this prophecy and so they enforced the learning of the prophecy on their children. And so I have done with Kakyuu. But after studying more of the prophecy and knowing what I know now, I believe that the prophecy has some tie to you, Striker."_

_"Me, my queen?"__ Striker was surprised. "But there's no connection with me and that girl. I'll never leave Kinmoku, this is my home."_

_"Striker, I have something to tell you. Do you remember that first day when you, Fighter, Healer, Maker, Princess Kakyuu, and I were out in the gardens?" Queen Kakei asked. "You had blocked out that memory because it was so tragic so I told you later, when you were much older, that you had lost both your parents to an intruder of our solar system? That wasn't exactly the truth. You lost your parents to an intruder, but not of our solar system. You were born and raised by them until you were seven years old. Your parents were killed when an evil general of a powerful dark queen came from the future to kill you. Fighter, Maker, and Healer saved you and Sammy and brought you here, and I took you into our household until you started your senshi training. And everything after that you remember, I'm sure."_

_Striker was silent. Her face was down so her best friends and the queen couldn't see her expression. Taking a big breath, Striker looked up at her queen. "What would you like me to do? Return to where I came from or continue serving you?"_

_"I want you to do what ever your heart tells you to," Queen Kakei told her. "If you feel you must return to your own planet, you may go. You came from Earth, a planet that is two solar systems away from us. It doesn't have as many people as we do on Kinmoku, and the mortals there know nothing of any super beings or sailor senshi. In fact, they don't believe that there is any life on the other planets, which is as it should be because there is hardly any life on the other planets anyway."_

_"Why is that?" Fighter asked, a puzzled expression on her beautiful face._

_"Well, about a hundred years ago, the Earth and its Moon were two separate kingdoms. The Earth's moon was a serene place that glowed bright with love and harmony, even in the shadow. The __Moon__Kingdom__ included the Earth's moon and all the other planets of the solar system, except Earth. The __Moon__Kingdom__ was ruled by Queen Selene. The __Earth__Kingdom__ was ruled by King Poseidon and Queen Helene. At those times, it was forbidden for the Moon people to socialize with the Earth people and vice-versa._

_"One day, Queen Selene called upon the stars to give her a daughter. As you know, every good senshi's soul becomes one with the stars and spends eternity after death watching over and guarding the precious souls of other senshi like them. The stars blessed her with a pregnancy and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Serenity. A year before, the royal Earth couple had a baby boy whom they named Endymion."_

_At those words, Serena shuddered. The other senshi looked at her in alarm but Serena opened her eyes again. She reassured them, "I'm okay. I just got this weird feeling."_

_After a moment's pause, the queen continued, "They both were beautiful children and, each year, they grew to be even more gorgeous and talented than they had been the year before. By the time Serenity turned 16 years old, she was almost as powerful, graceful, and possibly even wiser than her mother._

_"On the 16th birthday of all royalty, in the __Moon__Kingdom__, the teenagers are allowed to go wherever they want and do whatever they want, regardless of any laws, like a free-rein day. And on Princess Serenity's birthday, she chose to go down to the forbidden place for the Moon people—Earth. _

_On that planet she met Earthian prince Endymion and the two fell in love. After Serenity's birthday, for 1 full year, the two constantly kept in touch through secret means, but one day they were discovered. Their parents sat down together and decided that if their children loved each other enough to break several laws, as they had done, they deserved to be together. The couple decided to get married the following month, but at their wedding ceremony, a dark shadow blocked out the blue orb in the sky of the Moon. The Earthian Prince, his parents, and all his soldiers rushed back to Earth to find that an evil prince planned to take over the Earth kingdom and take the Moon Princess as his wife. Endynion fought hard but in the end, all his brave soldiers and the royal family of Earth were killed. The evil prince swept towards the __Moon__Kingdom__ and the queen sent a sea of soldiers and sorceresses to meet him and his army. They defeated the alien prince and their kingdoms were saved. But the evil prince's last words were: 'I am the great Dark Emperor Feron. I will be avenged by a descendant of my sister…'_

_Overcome with grief, the princess made a wish to the stars. She wished that she could join Endymion in the afterlife. The next morning, the queen discovered her daughter dead. The queen used her powers to send the souls of her daughter, her lover, and their senshi and generals into unconscious states. She said, "When it is time of greatest need and of great peril, they shall be reborn and become Soldiers of Love and Justice to defeat the new evil. They shall fight for the survival of the people of both the Earth and Moon kingdoms and the two shall finally be whole." _

_The queen continued to rule over the __Moon__Kingdom__ while the __Earth__Kingdom__ went through chaos. She tried to help them but nothing she did helped. The __Earth__Kingdom__ was destroyed by terrorists and the planet darkened with death, gloom, and evil._

_The queen tried one last time to help the people of the Earth but they turned on her and killed the already old and tired woman. The __Moon__Kingdom__ plunged into darkness and, from then on, glowed no more."_

_The senshi were silent. Princess Kakyuu looked at her mother and at the senshi before them. "Mother, may I say something? Why doesn't Striker go to Earth and see what it is like before she makes her decision?"_

_"Ah! A very good idea, Kakyuu," the queen smiled. "All right. Striker, you will travel to Earth and find out as much as you can about the life there and its people. And since I don't want you traveling alone, Fighter, you will go with her."_

_"Your Highness, are you sure that's wise?" asked Healer with a mischievous grin upon her face. "After all, those two won't always be in their transformations…and Seiya being in his real body, alone with Serena and without supervision might cause a problem…"_

_"Shut up Healer! At least I **have** a girlfriend!" yelled Fighter._

_"Pfff.__ A girlfriend, big deal. It's only good when your girlfriend is a totally hot babe with—" Healer was cut off by Fighter who had grabbed his neck and was in the process of choking him._

_"You two are positively childish!" Maker shouted at them as Striker sighed in exasperation._

_The queen smiled. "All right, all right. That will be the end of that," she said softly, hiding her smile, and Fighter and Healer immediately released each other and stood up straight, their eyes on their queen, as were their two fellow Starlights. "Although," she added with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Healer **has **made a good point—"_

_"Exactly," Healer agreed with a nod, smirking at Fighter._

_"—which is why you and Maker shall go with them too, Healer," the queen finished._

_"We can't!" Maker said in surprise and alarm._

_"What?!"__ Healer exclaimed. "But-But—"_

_"Your Highness! With all due respect, Healer and I cannot go!" Maker said to this queen, not caring about Yaten's stuttering. "What about Kinmoku?! Who will protect it if a threat is detected, if we are not here?"_

_"Maker, we will be fine here," the queen replied calmly. "The other Starlights can handle it. And right now, we need to concentrate on the issue at hand, Serena's existence in this world."_

_The Starlights were puzzled. "Wha…what do you mean?" Striker asked._

_The queen was silent for a moment. The she looked to her side and nodded to her daughter who had sat quietly beside her._

_Princess Kakyuu spoke strongly to her friends, "A while ago, in 1944, a young girl on Earth was thought to have been the reborn form of Princess Serenity. Her name was Patriciana de la Cruz. Ciana, as she was called, was a school girl who becoming a successful ballet dancer. She lived on the upper floor of her town's large theater. One day a tremendous blast sounded and Ciana ran to the first floor. There, she found an unearthly being standing in the middle of the theater laughing as people tried to drag the injured away to safety._

_Ciana__ was a courageous girl who had always been proud of her father's theater. She became angry at the being. Suddenly her whole body began to radiate light and a symbol appeared on her forehead. No one knew what the symbol looked like because as soon as it appeared, it flashed and shot a strong bolt of lightning at the creature. When the flash faded from everyone's eyes, the creature was gone, the damage undone, and Ciana was gone. Nobody knew what had happened to her; it seemed as if she had just disappeared into thin air._

_"Eighteen years later, another incident occurred with a girl named Raven Lyht. She was a prestigious school girl in a large city dubbed the "Ohki Ringo" in a country called Ame-rika on Earth. She encountered a monster at her school and destroyed it. This girl was able to defeat the monster by just staring straight at it. Flames shot from her eyes and burned everything in sight, save for the people. Strangely, the people were not burned, and when they opened their eyes, everything was as it had been before the monster arrived, and Raven was gone._

_"Thirteen years later, another monster appeared and a girl named __Champagne__ DuPonte destroyed it. People said that crystal blue water shot out of her hand and engulfed the whole room, but the people were safe, again._

_"Fourteen years later, a girl by the name of Tiaura, nicknamed Aura, Bronnell was able to destroy another monster when she pointed at it and an orange starry blast shot at it._

_"Seven years later, Chika Tsutomu sent a tidal wave that appeared out of nowhere upon a monster and saved many people at a shopping center._

_"A year later, Josephine (Jo) Kristian threw an orange ball of light at alien creature and destroyed it._

_"Four years later, Stephanie Sylva, a mute, created a deafening high-pitched scream, supposedly with her mind, that destroyed the monster. That was _

_"In all of these cases, the monster and the girl disappeared, never to be seen again. No one knew what became of them, and people thought it was the Princess reborn to protect Earth and its people," Kakyuu said softly._

_"In 1995, Earth's silver moon flashed brightly over Earth seven times, as it had in 1988, the year Serena was born."_

_"1995…wait, that was the year…" Healer trailed off and looked at Striker._

_"Yes, that was the year Serena came to stay with us," Queen Kakei nodded. She said, "People think that all those girls were the Princess Serenity, but I have been studying the reports and I believe that those girls were the reborn forms of the Princess's senshi. I received word last night that the Earth's Moon flashed again…seven light flashes down onto Earth. But this time, it ended with an extra flash, a gold flash. If I am not mistaken, those flashes indicate that the souls of those girls have returned to Earth, and another went with them. And my source told me that the Earth's moon glowed brighter for exactly 17 minutes the following year. That was the year Serena officially became Sailor Star Striker."_

_"So you are saying that Serena might be tied into all of this?" Maker asked._

_"Yes. I had suspected it ever since you came to us. Striker, you have strong powers, powers that have a certain quality about them. You are even stronger than any of the senshi here, especially stronger than Fighter, Maker, and Healer, who have been training for years before you started your training. And also, all your attacks are slightly shaded silver, and this could be why you feel such a strong connection to Kinmoku's moon," Queen Kakei said.  "And there is that other, much more important connection…" She snapped her fingers softly and a photo appeared in her hand. It was framed in elegant silver. The Starlights gasped when they saw who was in the photo._

_The girl in the photo wore an exquisite, silver, pearl-and-diamond dress. She was a slim girl with long blond hair pulled up into two "dumplings" with a long tress cascading down from each. Upon her head was a silver crown that was amazingly made of smoked and clear glass with a small diamond embalmed in the center.  Her face was held in a serious expression but her eyes betrayed her. Her cerulean blue eyes laughed with joy and mischievousness. Her beauty wasn't what startled the Starlights, they had seen it before. It was the person that they were so shocked over. It was Serena._

_"T-That **can't **be me," Striker whispered hoarsely to herself. She felt an arm slide around her shoulders and leaned into the familiar hug of Seiya/Fighter._

_"This is the __Moon__Kingdom__ Princess Serenity, also known as the queen of the Silver Millenium (the future Earth) Neo-Queen Serenity," Queen Kakei said._

_"Wow," Healer murmured as he looked at the picture. "She's hot." Fighter reached over and slapped the back of his brother's head. "Oww!" Healer exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head, and scowled at Fighter, "What the hell was that for?"_

_"That's my girlfriend you're talking about here!" Fighter glared at him._

_"Sorr-ee," Yaten said. "Geez, talk about sensitive."_

_"That looks so much like Serena," Maker said quietly, ignoring his younger brothers._

_"Queen, what does this mean? Does it mean…that I could be Princess Serenity?" Striker asked, swallowing hard._

_"Yes. You may be, Striker, but we still don't know for sure," Queen Kakei said softly. "And I must tell you this…The __Moon__Kingdom__ was the most supreme kingdom in the entire universe."_

_"What?!" the Starlights gasped._

_"Queen Selene and her daughter Serenity were the most powerful of all rulers and the rest of the kingdoms went under the order of the __Silver__Moon__Kingdom__. Queen Selene was a kind and wise ruler so none of the kings and queens objected to her rulings. My ancestors loved the Queen, just as they loved their mothers, and saw Queen Selene as such. It was as if Queen Selene was the mother of the universe. Even today, if the Princess Serenity were to be found, we would all be under her rule. But, just like her mother, Serenity was exceptionally wise for her age and never wanted to hurt a soul. The people of the __Silver__Moon__Kingdom__ wanted universal peace and that's what they strived for, but not everyone in the universe believed the Queen was the most fit to rule. The darkness was always plotting one thing or another to destroy the queen and her daughter and to take over the ruling._

_Queen Kakei said, "Let us all hope that the __Moon__Kingdom__ is finally able to rebuild its empire when the darkness comes, whether or not the princess has been found." Then she sighed. "Well, you should all get some rest. We've all had a long day, especially you, Striker. Tomorrow is Seiya's and your day off, correct? Why don't the two of you go spend the day downtown? And get your mind off of this. We will talk again soon. You are dismissed."_

_The Starlights left the room and walked together down the hall and up the stairs towards their quarters. When they reached Healer and Maker's respective rooms, the two senshi offered encouragements to Striker, telling her to "get a good rest," and not to worry about it because "you're still a Starlight and always will be, no matter what."_

_When the couple reached Striker's room, they stood outside her door. They both detransformed and Seiya hugged Serena tightly to him. "They're right, you know. You'll always be a Starlight, no matter what happens or what you have to do. And I'll always love you, regardless of who you are," Seiya softly said to his girlfriend._

_"Seiya, I'm afraid," Serena told into his shirt, which she had buried her face into. Looking down, Serena continued, "I'm afraid that if I do turn out to be that princess, that I'll have to stay on Earth. And you being a senshi of Kinmoku will have to stay here."_

_"Serena, we don't know for sure yet, so don't worry about it. And besides, I'd never be able to live without you, so we'll never be apart. If you are this Princess Serenity, we'll figure out a way," Seiya consoled her as he stroked her hair._

_Serena looked up at Seiya. She looked into his caring eyes and smiled, finding all the love in them. "Thank you Seiya," she whispered. She reached her mouth towards his and he lowered his lips to hers. They shared a sweet kiss. Serena pulled away slightly and whispered breathlessly, "I love you, Seiya."_

_"I love you too, Sere," Seiya kissed her deeply and their kissing became more passionate. _

_As they kissed, Serena asked him, "Seiya, will you stay with me tonight?"_

_"Sere, I don't think that's such a good idea, Seiya told her between kisses. "We shouldn't be doing thins like that until we're older."_

_"Please Sei? For me? I don't want to be alone tonight," Serena told him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gently pulled him towards the open door._

_"Sere, I—I want to stay so badly, but—" Seiya resisted. He pulled her back towards him. He was torn between staying or leaving. He wanted to be a good boyfriend and wait until they became older, but he also wanted to be with Serena, the girl he had always loved, ever since he had laid eyes on her (even if he hadn't known it until years later)._

_"So stay," Serena said simply. She looked at Seiya and knew that he would. She gently led him through the door, with barely any resistance from her boyfriend and he gently closed the door after them._

~*~*~

Seiya smiled, despite how his heart ached. He would always remember that night. It had been one of the most special times he had had with the girl he loved. Seiya thought, 'I just pray there will be more times together after this war. Please, Kami-sama, don't let anything happen to Serena. She means so much to me and I can't imagine life without her. Kami-sama, onegai!' Seiya said in desperation. The two stared out into the black sky, trying desperately to find comfort in each other's arms.


	13. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Paparazzi Propaganda??**

AN: Hey you all, another chapter of Starlight Destiny…finally! Lol. Well, anyway, all names of magazines and such are fictional and any real-life magazine names are entirely coincidental. And this chapter and the next are dedicated to **SilverKnight7** for giving me an idea for the next two chapters. Thanks!  
  
"Ohmigod! Did you see _Tokyo Teen_?! Seiya and Serena of the Four Lights dated for four years and then all of a sudden Seiya goes and has an affair with Chika Toyo?!" a girl exclaimed as she ran up to her friends with the said magazine waving high above her head.

"Yeah, I know! I saw that! It was on the cover of _Japan Stars_ too! Do you think it's true?" her friend asked desperately, her eyes wide with excitement.

"It has to be! After all, they said there was a witness who said he saw Seiya and Chika going into a love hotel on the outskirts of Tokyo City!" the first girl told them in a hushed voice, their heads bent close over the open magazine, as she pointing to a paragraph in the four-page article.

"Oh my gawd! I can't believe it! And with Chika Toyo too! Chika's such a beautiful model and an awesome actress, there's no wonder why they hooked up!" another girl wailed. "Seiya's taken again! It's no fair!"

"But what about Serena?!" the solo-blond haired girl of the group asked. The girls exchanged blanks expressions.

"I dunno…" the first, black-haired girl said.

"Hey! Maybe she'll hook up with Keisuke Miyasato!" the girl with the longest black hair suggested.

"Oooh! Yeah! Keisuke's such a super hot model! And he said in his latest interview that he thinks Serena's really hot and seems really interesting. He even said he'd really like to get to know her because she seems so much like himself. Serena and Keisuke would match like Oreos and milk!!" the owner of the _Tokyo Teen_ magazine issue gushed. The other girls nodded their heads enthusiastically in agreement.

"Oooo! Oreos sound good," the redhead said. "We should go get some on the way home today!"

"Yeah, whatever," the black haired girl waved her hand in the air impatiently. "I just want to find out whether Seiya and Chika are going to last and if who Serena's going to hook up with!"

Nodding enthusiastically in agreement with their pack leader, the girls began poring over the magazine once more, trying to find out all the facts of the latest star scandal, unaware that they were being watched and their conversation overheard by someone else.

A tall woman with long dark green hair stood just around the corner. She was dressed in a short deep purple dress and stiletto heeled shoes. Hiding her deep amethyst eyes were a pair of deep purple, black-tinted sunglasses.

"I sense great trouble ahead for the Earth senshi, and for the Starlights," she said gravelly to herself. "I must watch over the portals carefully." Turning away from the girls, she headed down the hall, gaining the curious stares of Tokyo High students. She carried herself with astonishing grace, almost as if she were floating, and had a strange aura around her. Her face showed no expressions but the way she walked showed that she was going somewhere important. She seemed so out of place in the high school that she caught the attention of many students. The woman walked up numerous flights of stairs until she reached a level with a door marked 'Rooftop Access' next to the stairwell. She opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. There was a brief purple flash of neon light underneath the door, but no one took noticed.

"What the hell is this?!" Seiya exploded. He threw the many magazines onto the table.

Yaten popped his head from the couch and Taiki came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on the blue apron her wore. He had been practicing baking a cake for an upcoming show he was supposed to do. The two both had expressions of curiosity. "What are you yelling about Seiya?" Yaten asked, an eyebrow raised.

"This!" Seiya picked up a magazine and hurled it blindly in Yaten's general direction. Yaten's head disappeared from view as the magazine flew over his head, inching it by millimeters.

"Hey! Stop that!" Yaten yelled.

"Who the hell told the paparazzi this crap?!" Seiya shouted, slamming his fists down onto the table.

Taiki and Yaten both went to the table and shifted through the pile of magazine, each one with separate pictures of Seiya and the beauty dubbed the "Goddess of Love and Beauty Shoved to the Curb," with headlines like "Four Lights Couple Broken Up Over Affair," "It Takes Two…to Keep Seiya Satisfied," "Will She Forgive Him?" and "Seiya and Serena Separate."

"Wha-?!" Yaten and Taiki both exclaimed as soon as the headlines and pictures sunk in. "What did you do?!" they both turned to Seiya and exclaimed.

"I didn't do a damn thing! I've only met Chika Toyo once! How could I have been at a hotel with her when I only talked to her at that frickin' Christmas party? And how could you two accuse me of doing that to Serena?!" Seiya yelled back at them.

"We're not accusing you of _that_!!" the two brothers shouted in unison. "We're asking if you made Chika Toyo mad or something!" Taiki said.

"We know you wouldn't do that to Serena!" Yaten told him in a huff.

Seiya paused in his "angry-bull" huffing. He calmed down a little. "Oh…No! I didn't!" Seiya told them, running his hand through his hair in frustration and heaving himself onto the couch. "Who could have so much media influence that the paparazzi would believe everything this so-called 'Love Hotel Witness' says?!"

Taiki sat down in a chair. "Well, it could have been one of your more influential fans," he said as Yaten disappeared into the kitchen, reading _Tokyo Teen_. Taiki flipped through _Star Madness_until he got to the cover story article. "Or maybe it could have been an extremely desperate fan of Serena's..." Taiki trailed off as he started reading the article.

Yaten appeared out of the kitchen with a spoon of light brown dough in his hand as he read the _Tokyo Teen_. He settled down on the couch next to Seiya. "Maybe it was someone's idea of a sick joke," he said.

"No, this is too big to be a joke, Yaten, and don't you dare take some more dough," Taiki warned him, knowing his younger brother. He hadn't even looked up to see Yaten carrying the spoon, he just knew.

"Aw man," Yaten moaned. He sighed unhappily and savored every little taste of the preciously tiny amount of dough. Then, as he liked the spoon clean, a thought occurred to him and he dropped the spoon. "Hey!"

"What Yaten?! I'm trying to think!" Seiya told him, jerking to a sitting position on the couch.

"Hey! Is this thing all over the news?" Yaten asked urgently.

"Of course it is Yaten. It's considered the most biggest news in a long time, is what is says here," Taiki said, gesturing to the magazines on the table. He looked at Yaten and saw his younger brother's face. "What?" he said suddenly. "What's wrong?"

"Taiki, Serena went out for a walk this morning…and she went walking down towards the center of Tokyo," Yaten told him with wide eyes. "She wanted to go shoping."

"What?!" Seiya jumped up. "Why didn't you tell me this before?!" he demanded.

"Hey! I can't remember everything that happens, you know," Yaten retorted.

"Argh!" Seiya yelled and grabbed his jacket and the baseball hat that he often used for a disguise and charged out the door.

Taiki quickly went over to the wall phone and picked up the phone. Punching in a speed dial number, he bit his lip, waiting for the other end to pick up.

Seiya hurried down the sidewalk, practically shoving people out of the way as he pulled the cap lower upon his head and glanced wildly at the street signs. He headed down towards the shopping district of Japan, which was unfortunately the most crowded during Saturday evenings, without even acknowledging the exclamations caused by his shoving.

As he rounded a corner, he suddenly saw a familiar black car slowly turning down the same street. Seiya looked closer as he weaved in and out through the crowd and recognized the Four Lights' longtime limo driver, Matsuoka.

The black car pulled up next to him and Seiya climbed in. "Matsuoka-san! What are you doing here?"

"Ah Seiya, Taiki called me. He said you needed a quick ride to the shopping district so I came to pick you up. Now where would you like to go?" Matsuoka steered expertly into the flow of traffic and headed down towards the shopping central of Tokyo.

Serena stepped out of her favorite store American Teen and bumped into a group of girls, who were chattering excitedly about some latest scandal in the tabloids.

"Oh! Excuse me!" Serena gave an apologetic smile to the pre-teen girls and they stopped their chattering long enough to reply with a "it's okay," before turning back to the magazine that they held open in the center of the group.

Serena stepped a few feet away from them to the curb, to hail a taxi, and sighed. Thank gosh she was wearing a hat. Otherwise, those girls would have recognized her, what with the magazine they were reading and all. She had briefly spotted Seiya on the cover of the magazine but hadn't been able to see what the feature was about. Serena figured it had something to do with the release of Seiya's new single that he had composed and recorded just for her, as an anniversary present. She had dismissed the girls' conversation as just nothing important but a name caught her attention. Two names actually.

"…Seiya was…affair…treating Serena like…"

"…Oh my gosh!...Yeah!...I can't believe it!"

'Huh?' Serena thought. She looked over at the girls. Stepping back a couple feet, acting like she was looking in her bag for something, she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"…that's so sad! I feel so bad for Serena! I can't believe Seiya would do something like that!"

'Do what?' Serena wondered.

"Yeah! And with Chika Toyo too! I hate her! She's such a bi-otch!" one of the girls said.

"Exactly! And it says here that Chika says it's been going on ever since that celebrity Christmas party they were both at."

'What?!' Serena couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'What did she say?!' She stared at the girls. She then frowned. Pulling out a pair of sunglasses from her bag, she put them on and walked over to the girls.

"Hi!" Serena said cheerfully. The girls turned to look at her. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation about Serena and Seiya! What's going on?"

"You won't believe this!" the girls immediately added the disguised-Serena to their huddle. "Apparently Seiya's been having an affair with Chika Toyo, the famous model and actress, and Serena doesn't know about it yet!"

"Really?" Serena asked.

"Yeah! And this magazine said they met at the celebrity Christmas party at the Grande Hotel Restaurant a while ago and Chika Toyo gave an exclusive interview stating that she and Seiya ditched Serena a little after midnight and they headed up to one of the rooms to mess around. Chika said that she and Seiya have been having sex ever since and that he's as great in bed as anyone would think, if not more," one blushing girl told her.

"Yeah, and Chika Toyo claims that Seiya dumped Serena and that he's going to propose to her anytime now."

Serena couldn't take anymore of the gossip. "Sorry girls, but none of that is true."

"How do you know?" the girls asked curiously.

"Because Seiya would never do that to Serena. I know him really well," Serena told them.

"You know Seiya?!" the girls all shrieked in unison.

"Of course." Serena told them.

"Wait, what did you say your name was again?" one of the girls asked.

"My name's Serena," she said and pulled off her sunglasses. The girls gasped and stared at her in disbelief. "I can tell you girls for sure that it's all gossip. Chika Toyo never went up to a hotel room that night at the Christmas party. At least, if she did, it wasn't with Seiya. Seiya was with me the whole night," she told them.

"Oh my gosh! Y-You're Serena!" a girl exclaimed. "So-So all this is a lie?"

"Yup," Serena smiled apologetically. "The paparazzi are always trying to report some so-called scandal. Don't believe everything you see in the magazines."

"Hey! Serena! Is that you?" a familiar male voice called out to her from down the sidewalk.

Serena turned around and spotted who it was. "Hey Haruka! Michiru!" She waved and then turned back to the girls, "Sorry. I've got to go." She turned towards the couple.

"Oh! Wait! Could you sign some autographs for us, please?"

"Um, well, I don't have any photos right now, but…how about this: I'll give you my card and you can give my manager your addresses and I'll send them to you? How's that?"

"Sure!" the girls all beamed. They eagerly took the card Serena gave them and waved bye to her before hurrying off in the opposite direction, squealing excitedly about meeting their all-time favorite pop star.

"Hello Serena," Michiru greeted her with a soft smile.

"Hey Michiru," Serena smiled. The Four Lights and the duo had become good friends since the concert, except for Seiya's slight disliking of Haruka. "What are you guys doing here? Shopping?"

"Yeah. We wanted to pick up some stuff for Michiru's niece's birthday," Haruka said, holding up the bag from the toy store a block away.

"Awesome," Serena smiled. "I'm just shopping too. I **had** to get some new clothes. Most of my clothes got ruined when Sammy and Seiya were having a water gun war," Serena rolled her eyes and laughed.

Michiru and Haruka both smiled but they shared uneasily expressions. "Uh, Serena?" Haruka asked. "Did you happen to hear something about Seiya and…?"

"Oh yeah," Serena said nonchalantly. "It's all lies though. It seems Chika Toyo really likes Seiya or just wanted to cause a scandal because I was with Seiya the night, Chika **claimed**, they got together."

"Really? Wow. I've met Chika, but I didn't think she'd stoop so low," Haruka said.

"Yes. She seemed so nice," Michiru agreed. "I guess you can't judge a person by first impressions."

"You got that right," Serena said with a sigh. "Oh well. I had better get home."

"Oh Serena, we wanted to ask you something. There's a charity hip-hop concert in a month and Haruka and I have decided to volunteer. We wanted to know if you, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten could contribute in some way to the event," the aqua-haired beauty told the younger girl.

"Really? A hip-hip concert for charity?" Serena grinned. "That sounds like fun. I'll ask them, but I'll definitely help out. Do you need dancers? Because I love hip hop!"

"Sure, if you want. We're getting a professional choreographer from Kaneda Music to help us," Michiru said. "The concert is basically to raise money for kids who want to enter arts schools but can't afford to."

"Cool. I'll ask the guys and I'll let you know. Bye!" Serena said and headed back to the hotel. She arrived back at the hotel about 20 minutes later and found Yaten and Taiki eating cookies, Yaten in front of the TV and Taiki at the table, working on his laptop.

"Hey guys," she greeted and dropped her bags onto the table. Taiki and Yaten both whipped around to look at her. Serena looked at them with raised eyebrows. "…What's up with you two?"

"Serena! Did Seiya find you?" Yaten asked her urgently.

"Seiya? No, but I did see Michiru and Haruka. They told me about this charity—"

"Serena. Did you see the news?" Taiki interrupted, totally out of character.

"Uhh…the news? Why?" she asked him quizzically.

"Serena, there's this rumor going around that Seiya has been cheating on you with—" Yaten said.

"Ohhhhh. **That** news. Yeah, I heard about it," Serena said nonchalantly again for the second time that day. She started pulling out things from her many shopping bags.

Taiki and Yaten looked at each other. "You're not…mad?" Yaten asked carefully.

"No. Because Chika Toyo is one sad person if she has to make up all those lies just so she can boost her self-esteem," Serena said matter-of-factly.

Taiki and Yaten exchanged surprised expressions. "Wow Serena, that's really…calm of you," Taiki said surprised. "I would have thought that you would want to get revenge over her for causing this huge made-up scandal."

"Oh I'm going to get revenge all right. But that's not really important right now. After all, I know it's not true so why should I care what other people think? But don't get me wrong, I **am** going to get revenge, one way or another," Serena vowed.

"Uhhh…" Taiki and Yaten exchanged yet another round of looks.

"Anyway, I'm going to go take a bubble bath. Let me know if Seiya gets back," Serena told them and dragged her day's haul to her room.

"Uhhh…okay," Yaten said. He looked at Taiki but Taiki only shrugged. That wasn't like Serena at all. What was going on?

"Ah, I see. Being around the Earth senshi has changed you, Princess. You have become much more aware of yourself, of your duties, although, you still have that mischievous spark, I see," the tall, green-haired figure said as she looked into her orb, a small amused smile upon her face. In the smoky purple haze of the cool glass of the orb, the outlines of Taiki and Yaten looking at each other in surprise could be seen before the smoke pulled the images back into its deep purple depths.

"In making that decision you have just altered your fate. You have diverted it from danger, without even knowing the horrific future that had lain in wait for you. This Chika Toyo is not to be taken lightly. She is not what she seems, Princess. I hope you and your senshi vanquish this enemy, for your sake…and the world's."


End file.
